The Soul Thief
by iKatnissStarkWestoftheFlock
Summary: Against all odds, Alistair and Sisara Theirin produce an heir. As little Evie's sixth birthday approaches, they learn that the Orlesian Warden-Commander believes that a child born from two Wardens is dangerous. Evie is separated from her parents but luckily for her, she meets people from her parents' past who are willing to help. But no one ever said it was easy...
1. Prologue

**The Soul Thief**

Against all odds, Alistair and Sisara Theirin produce an heir. As little Evie's sixth birthday approaches, they learn that someone had been conspiring against them and told someone of the ritual. Now, the Orlesian Grey Wardens have begun to ask questions and it does not help that the Orlesian Warden Commander is extremely pious. When everyone is out to get their little girl and one of their allies has betrayed them, can they truly survive this?

**AN: So this is my first Dragon Age: Origins story. During the first half of my summer, I had literally no internet and just played the game through and through and I wrote the entire story on a notebook. The events of Awakening did not happen (and probably won't since I never played the game so have no idea what it's like) and it is AU after the events of Origins.**

**Disclaimer: With the exception of Sisara, Evie and Maurice (and just about every other characters that are non-canon), none of the following characters belong to me. Dragon Age: Origins does not belong to me and is a game developed by Bioware.**

_**Prologue: The End of her Story, the Beginning of Theirs**_

'_We were strangers  
Starting out on a journey  
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through  
Now here we are  
And I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you...'_

_-_At The Beginning, Richard Marx & Donna Lewis

* * *

The possibility of a Grey Warden producing an heir is very slim, so naturally, the possibility of two should be downright impossible. At least, that was the original thought. No one ever did try and speculate what might happen to two newly tainted Wardens.

Because after the fifth Blight, it was the not only the very first time that two Grey Wardens had successfully survived killing an Archdemon but also conceived a child together.

But then again, the two aforementioned Wardens always did have a habit of going against the odds.

Alistair Theirin and Sisara Cousland were absolutely anything but ordinary. One of them was a kind and somewhat goofy man and the other was a fierce and outspoken woman. Both had an incredible talent on getting in their enemies' nerves. Neither seemed likely to be the only ones to survive during the battle of Ostagar.

It did not seem likely that the two would find love during a Blight, but there they were. Falling slowly but surely. To them, it happened in the blink of an eye. One day, they were Wardens, just cohorts and two lost souls who had happened to found each other, the next they were each other's soulmates and the idea of living without the other was unbearable. To everyone that had surrounded them, they had slowly watched their relationship blossom.

And to think. It all started with a campfire, a confession and a single rose. It evolved into something much more beautiful.

And so, so much stronger.

'The Dim-Witted Templar and The Smart-Mouth Rogue', one of their companions, whose name they decided to forget, had once called them.

In hindsight, the questions their friends had asked them was somewhat of a foreshadowing on their future: they would often ask what them what they would do if one day, they had to choose between saving everyone and saving the one they loved.

Neither had wanted to answer that question, until one day, they had no choice.

They found out that in order to kill an Archdemon, one of them must die. And they were no fools: Riordan, while a great warrior, was still injured and had been deprived of basic necessities one needs to keep up their strength.

Sisara Cousland had never been like other nobles. When one would meet her, within five minutes, they will immediately think 'Bryce Cousland's little spitfire, indeed'. Her name and reputation proceeded her and with good reason. But underneath it all, Sisara was a Cousland. Duty came first, above all. That alone could have told her that she should take the fall. But then the idea crossed her mind that Alistair could be the one who does and just like that, her decision was final.

"Then I'll deliver the final blow." Sisara immediately said after learning the truth.

She immediately regretted saying it out loud. Did she not intend to slay the Archdemon? Yes, she did. She will _not _let Alistair die. She refused to have another person she loved die while she could have done something to prevent it. It reminded her too much of what happened in Highever…

The reason she regretted saying it out loud was because she knew that it meant a conversation with Alistair was in the future. One where he will try to talk her out of it.

Alistair stiffened beside her. He felt his blood grow cold and for a second that seemed to have lasted a lifetime, he had stopped breathing. Something he had come to realize in the time he's spent with the strong woman beside him was that while she constantly cared and worried for others, she seemed to have no regards to her own health.

For example, if one of her companions would feel upset after a little brush with the past, she would encourage them to talk about it. She herself did no such thing until the quest to the Urn.

He remembered the first time they met. She smiled constantly, yet something inside of him told him that the smile was not genuine, he told himself that he did not know her well enough. She had kept her identity a mystery for some time. Alistair had no reason to assume that she was nothing but an ordinary human with a normal life. Well, as normal as a life could get in Ferelden.

He had heard her speak fondly of her parents. She loved them deeply. And he had never noticed how she so clearly avoided questions regarding her parents. When Morrigan once asked about her mother, she simply said that she loved her and that was all she needed to know. When Zevran asked if her family was as beautiful as she, she nodded solemnly and quickly changed the subject. Even with the Mad Hermit at the Brecillian Forest, when asked about her father, she quickly answered that they had a good relationship. He even recalls once when he asked her if there was anywhere she ever felt like home. He had expected her to talk about her family. She didn't.

Duncan had once told him to watch out for her. The tone in his voice showed that he was a bit worried about her and when Alistair asked why, he merely answered that it was not his place to tell. She was always vague when it came to her parents. He had overheard certain words about it with her conversations with Wynne, Sten, Oghren, Shale and Leliana…What he had suspected was that she was a girl with a lovely family back at home who missed her and to whom she will certainly return to and that the reason Duncan looked so worried may have been because she would be homesick.

But it was not until the quest for the Urn of Sacred Ashes that he, along with Zevran and Morrigan, learned the truth about her past.

At first, the Guardian claimed that there is suffering in all four of them. Alistair already knew what his pain was and he could obviously guess that Zevran and Morrigan did not have the happiest lives.

But what had shocked him was what the Guardian had revealed about his fellow Grey Warden:

"_You abandoned your mother and father, leaving them in the hands of Rendon Howe, knowing he would show no mercy. Do you think you failed your parents?"_

_Alistair's eyes shot right to Sisara, whose eyes suddenly changed. They were not as bright and full of excitement as they once were. She was quiet. She was hurt. She was breaking. He looked around to see that Morrigan and Zevran were just as shocked as he was and suddenly, it all made sense: there was a reason that Sisara smiled constantly. It was a mask. A mask that she wore ever since they met to ensure that no one would see what was underneath. And oh, how it worked._

"…_I-How did you kn-?" she stuttered. Sisara never stuttered. She was always so bold and fierce. As Wynne once said, she seemed to have an opinion about everything and voiced it every chance she had. Even when she stared in the face of danger (that whole debacle with the Sloth Demon proved that when she mentioned with nonchalance that she would rather kill him, if it was alright with said demon), she had a bold answer. But now, she was speechless._

"_I can see your life, Sisara Cousland, daughter of Teyrn Bryce and Teyrna Eleanor Cousland. You were once such a rebellious child, you wanted adventure, the life you wanted was not acceptable for a girl who was born as a noble. You wanted to know whether you truly were important or were you just a small pawn in a much bigger plan? You often clashed with your mother, who desperately tried to ensure that you would grow up as a proper lady. The day Duncan of the Grey Wardens came, you believed that you would finally be happy. But that night was the night that changed everything, wasn't it? Howe betrayed your family and killed everyone you ever knew and loved, including your brother's little son. You received everything you had ever wanted, but lost everything you had to get it…"_

_Sisara was silent. Now, she glared at the Guardian with pure hatred in her eyes. How dare he? How dare he reveal everything she had wanted to keep a secret for so long? How dare he bring up painful memories?_

_Zevran and Morrigan exchanged a look. They had been walking alongside a Teyrn's daughter? And given how close they had been, she did not mention it? Oh, but the confusion didn't last long. They had a few skeletons in their closets themselves and could not hold it against her._

"_That is why you smile every day even though you don't want to. That is why you joke because deep down when you do face what is serious, you end up remembering. who you are. It forces you to recall the days when you gave up what you wanted because duty came first, as it always does for a cousland. Because the truth is you are furious with yourself. And because you believe that it is better to pretend to be happy then explain why you are not. But I am not here to tell you who you are. I shall ask you again: do you feel that you have failed your parents?"_

"_Yes." She answered, "Yes, I do. I've failed them because I took them for granted. I've failed them because I was not the proper noblewoman that I should have been. I've failed them because I should have fought to the death for them."_

Alistair remembered their response: He saw her in a different light. He finally saw the girl behind the constant smiles and smart mouth. She smiled so no one could see the tears. She laughed so no one will hear her screams. She loved so no one would ever suspect the hate that she kept inside.

Morrigan and Zevran were protective of the girl. Although they were shocked, they were angry at the Guardian for making her feel so guilty about something she had no control over.

She was so afraid that he would hate her after that. He didn't. He was hurt that she did not tell him everything, but he understood what it was like, not wanting to reveal something of his past for fear of what the people in his future might think.

But unlike himself, he saw that was she was hiding was slowly destroying her. He thought he knew her. Inside and out. But it wasn't until he had seen her father's ghost that he had learned just how much he had yet to learn…

_The ghostly figure looked familiar. Sisara stopped in her tracks. Although Alistair was never the brightest candle in the hallway, even he could understand why the figure startled her so. They shared the same nose, the same face shape and the same look in their eyes._

_They were standing before Sisara's deceased father._

"_My dearest child…" the ghost spoke._

_Sisara laughed sardonically, "So it was not enough to reveal everything I have tried to keep a secret for so long and make me relive my pain? Why do you torment me with this vision?"_

"_No more than the torment you have inflicted on yourself. No more must you grieve, my child. You have spent every day keeping in all this anger and guilt and sadness inside, hiding it. Some of your friends have had glimpses of it through your eyes, but do not know the extent of your pain. Our deaths were not your fault, nor could you have done anything to prevent it." Teyrn Bryce Cousland told her._

"_Yes, I could have!" Sisara said stubbornly. Alistair had been so focused on the ghost before him that he did not see until she spoke the tears that fell on her cheeks._

_He saw a lot of firsts today. And two of them include the faces of Morrigan and Zevran. Both wanted to say something to Sisara but were afraid that they would say the wrong thing and make everything worse. He understood how they felt. Mainly because he felt the same way._

"_Still as stubborn, I see." Bryce smiled fondly, "I have always supported you in your decisions, you know that? And so does your mother, by the way."_

"_M-Mother? Does she know that I'm sor-" Sisara began, but Bryce shook his head._

"'_Sorry'? Oh, my child…not a day goes by where Eleanor tell me how much she deeply regrets making you feel as if you were not the daughter she wanted. Know this: your mother loves you, whether you wear a dress or an armor, hold a rose or a sword, or are a Teyrna or a Warden. We both love you because you are you. Do not ever change that." He told her._

_Sisara nodded, biting her lip. She tried to accept everything as it was. Or rather, she has been trying for a long time. Her body moved, then stopped herself. She wanted to hug her father one last time, only realizing that this was not her father. This was a ghost…or a vision, she wasn't sure._

_And the thought crossed her mind that she would never hug her father again. She closed her eyes as if doing so would somehow shield her tears away from the world. She was surprised when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her._

_She opened her eyes and saw that despite the ghost form, it truly felt like her father was back, hugging her. And when she hugged him back, she could feel him there._

_But she knew wouldn't last._

_"Take my advice, my little spitfire. Do not hide your pain anymore. Tell your friends. Let them help you as you have helped them. Take the pain and the guilt, acknowledge it and let it go. You have such a long road ahead of you and you must be prepared. And so I leave this in your hands…I know you will do great things with it."_

_She felt something in her hands. She looked down to see an amulet. It was simple and had a mirrored back and the symbol of the Chantry in the front. As she stared at the silvered backing, she could have sworn she saw them all: not just her father, but her mother, Oriana, Oren, Aldous, Nan…everyone she had ever held dear, smiling down at her, as if to tell her that they were all rooting for her._

_When her gaze went back up in front of her, the figure was gone._

_She made a silent vow to herself. She would do as her father asked. She would try to acknowledge it rather than ignore it. She would __**try**__…And it will be one of the hardest things she will have to do, she was sure. Which meant that she needed time._

_"Sisara..." Alistair said from behind her. It's funny. Just the sound of his voice saying her name had calmed her down a bit. In all honesty, he had wanted to say so many things to her. He wanted to hold her and tell her that it was going to be okay. But he knew this was not the time. Yet. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to grab her and take her far, far away from here and just keep her safe. He wanted her to be back at camp with him, in his arms and for him to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. _

_"If you wish to talk…" Zevran followed. It was odd for the assassin, you see. He never felt sorry for anyone but himself. A selfish thought, he knows, but how else was a man supposed to think especially since he had no 'friends'? But Sisara Cousland was the first, and possibly the only, one who not only called him a friend, but to go as far as a best friend. The same rules did not apply to her._

_"We can spare some time." Morrigan promised. Like Zevran, she was approaching uncharted territory. Her voice had softened in a way that neither Zevran nor Alistair had ever heard. Only Sisara had heard her voice in that way. Morrigan knew that the spirited young girl had a dark side, which is why she was able to understand Morrigan so easily. Morrigan had recalled all those times Sisara had been there for her. She just hoped that she could do the same for Sisara._

_Despite how touching their reactions were, Sisara did not turn around. She didn't need to. She knew exactly what their faces would look like just by hearing the tone of their voice._

_"The ashes are the priority." She said in her 'leader' voice. "And…and I'm just not ready to talk about it yet."_

_They nodded and they continued their quest. As she wished, they did not speak of it any more. Until later that night._

Alistair, Morrigan and Zevran knew that it was a sensitive topic…in fact, they had not spoken one word of it to her until after they were back at camp, something that Sisara was grateful for.

When they returned to camp, everyone saw how Sisara changed. Leliana, previously excited and who asked about the Ashes, stopped herself as she saw that Sisara did not immediately come to them and say, 'Guess who's got the Ashes?' in a happy, successful tone.

Both Wynne and Leliana demanded to know what had happened and approached Zevran, Morrigan and Alistair individually, with Sten and Oghren, who tried to stay sober, listened in. Even Shale, who cared little for idle talk, asked them why 'it is not as happy as it is supposed to be given the success of its mission'. None of them revealed what they now knew.

Sisara immediately retreated to her tent, with Barkspawn following behind her. An hour later, she came out and sat on the log, sharpening her dagger. Still, no one talked.

But after a while, Morrigan was the first to talk to her. Everyone was confused and surprised to see the Witch approaching their camp and requested to talk to Sisara alone. Sisara followed Morrigan to her 'side' of the camp and although Alistair did not overhear the conversation, he watched from afar and saw that the conversation ended with Morrigan giving a consoling hug. Alistair knew it must have been serious if _Morrigan, _of all people, decided to hug her. It started as an awkward hug, no doubt, but Sisara hugged her back. He couldn't see her expression yet.

Sisara asked Morrigan to tell everyone to give her some time to herself and retreated somewhere in the forest. She even left Barkspawn with them. She assured her that she would come running back in case she sensed any darkspawn.

Zevran was next. About an hour later, it was dinnertime and although it was Leliana who cooked her infamous roasted rabbit and potatoes, a personal favorite of Sisara's, Sisara did not return. It was a quiet dinner. Leliana and Wynne were not pestering everyone for their less-than-elegant manners of eating. Shale did not comment on how she did not need food to sustain her energy. There were no jokes or laughter among them or even any discussion of future plans. Finally, it was Zevran's turn. He took the remaining food left (which was quite a lot considering no one really had the appetite…when one's energetic leader suddenly transforms into an empty shell, no one really wanted to devour their food as they usually did) and ran off to the forest to find her.

Alistair did not know what they talked about. If they talked, at all. All he knew was that Zevran returned with a sympathetic arm around Sisara's shoulder, whose face and eyes made it quite clear: she had been crying. Then, just before they were within earshot, Zevran put his hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye and told her something with a softened look on his face. She nodded, but her lip trembled as tears were threatening to fall again. Zevran answered by kissing her cheek and hugged her before she left.

Once upon a time, Alistair was jealous of Zevran's budding friendship with Sisara. The two were rogues and as soon as Zevran began teaching her some dirty Crow secrets, the two were thick as thieves. Pun intended. At that time, Alistair had just offered Sisara the rose. He couldn't say that he was officially courting her, but she was aware of his feelings. And he knew that they were mutual and had been for a long time, according to her. The way Sisara felt so comfortable around Zevran reminded Alistair of how she was with him at the beginning. And yes, there was a time when Alistair would have given his right foot rather than leave Zevran with Sisara alone. But overtime, he saw that Sisara did in fact love Zevran and vice versa, but it was not the same love. It wasn't the love that Sisara only had reserved for Alistair. And, as soon as he rethought all of the opportunities that Zevran had to kill them and didn't take it, he soon began to trust Zevran.

At night, Alistair was the one who followed Sisara to her tent. But their night was not filled with passion and happiness, but one of comfort and sorrow.

"_I'm sorry." She whispered._

_Alistair, who had slid next to her and put his arm around her stomach, looked at her with concern in his eyes, "There's nothing to apologize for…"_

_He felt her muscles tensed against him and he put his lips closer to her ear and gently whispered, "To me or to your parents…"_

_He did not expect her to shed more tears. As soon as he realized that she was once again crying, he sat back up, and she followed his lead and put her arms around his neck, gently sobbing and burying her face in his neck. He held her as tightly as he could, but he felt as if she was weaker somehow. Her movements were not as...strong as they once were. She felt delicate, limp and utterly weak for the first time since he had known her._

_Although it occurred to him that she may have been this way more often than he knew._

"_I should have stayed, Alistair…I should have stayed and protected them, I __**could**__ have protected them." She whimpered._

_"You __**will **__get through this..." he promised her._

_"No, I won't." Sisara sobbed, "It hurts too much to get through it and I can't...I won't..."_

"_Sisa, remember what they told you…if you keep living with this guilt inside, you will never be happy again. You have to let go. Now, I know that it's easier said than done, and it won't happen overnight…but know that every single one of us will be here to help you in every step of your journey. Me, Barkspawn, Zevran the Scare-Crow, Lil' Leli, Scary Sten, Drunken Oghren, Wynnie the Magey-Poo, Shale-Stone, and that Crazy Little Rhymes-With-Witch."_

_Sisara chuckled and Alistair felt a huge wave of relief through him. "You know that they'll all kill you when they hear those nicknames. Makes me wonder if you have a secret nickname for me."_

"_And risk you hearing it? No, thank you, I do not want you slicing me up with your daggers. Wait, that's good…Slicin' Sisa. Maybe that'll get ar-Ow!" Alistair feigned hurt as Sisara gave him a playful slap on the shoulder._

"_Or Slappin' Sisara. That's actually kind of catchy, has a nice ring to it. Who knows? Lil' Leli might make a ballad out of it someday. Since you're always so lethal with bows, why not Shooting Sisara? Or how about Smart-Mouth Sisa? Nah, I think Stubborn Sisa takes the cake. Actually, they all pretty much describe you. Or there's also-Hey, quit it!" Alistair was once again interrupted as Sisara gave up multiple playful slaps on the shoulder which eventually ended with Alistair taking her arms to stop her and her jumping on top of him and kissing him, silencing his newfound nicknames._

_When their kiss ended, they had both spent a few moments looking into each other's eyes. Blue met green, as bright as her mother's. Then her thoughts snapped back into reality. She smiled slightly and pressed her forehead against his. Maker bless that uncanny ability that Alistair had. The one that could make Sisara forget about everything around her in a blink of an eye._

"_I can see you're not ready to talk about this…I won't force you. I know you will one day, but it doesn't have to be today. And know that when you're ready, I'll be right here, I promise." He swore to her._

_He saw her lips tremble and her eyes closed, as if to absorb this moment where it was just them and a promise to be kept, "Thank you…and I'll hold you onto that promise."_

He never did press the matter any further. He had seen that she was not ready to talk and gave her time, which is exactly what she needed. Little by little, she revealed everything. From her wild, happy childhood to her somber, unsatisfied young-adulthood to the night that would change everything.

He knew that she had her mother's beautiful green eyes and her father's ebony locks, before his eventually turned to grey with age. He learned that as a child, her mother once seemed to approve her wild ways, thinking it was just a phase, even so far as encouraging it. Her mother used to laugh as little Sisara would fight boys with wooden sticks. Sisara explained that it was because of her mother that she could shoot a target right in the eye when she could barely see his face. She explained how she could never stand the slowness of two-handed swords and asked her father to help her with daggers and often had duels with her brother and a young gentleman named Ser Gilmore.

But as she grew older, her mother began to worry that this was not just a phase. Her little Sisara would grow up to want more. The more Sisara grew older, the less her mother tolerated her behavior. At eighteen, her mother had sealed away the bow Sisara received for her thirteenth birthday and the daggers that Fergus had forged especially for her in the Family Treasury.

As soon as she hit her eighteenth birthday, they had their biggest fight ever. Eleanor had kept on pressuring Sisara to find a husband and one day, Sisara just snapped. She explained that this tore them apart more than anything and that this was probably her biggest regret. She even revealed an epiphany she had: the reason her mother feared Sisara was because her mother was so much like her in many ways.

He learned how close Sisara was to her brother but how she was jealous of him because he received things that she had wanted: training, fancy new weapons and armor…Even a lightening enchanted Dalish sword! But no matter how jealous she got, Sisara could always count on Fergus, and vice versa. It changed a little bit when Fergus got married to Oriana. He had to spend more time with his wife and child and saw Sisara even less. She didn't mind. She adored Oriana and Oren, anyway, although she was a bit disgusted at the time whenever Oriana and Fergus would show public displays of affection. Fergus had always said that one day, Sisara would find a man that could handle her. Funny how things turned out.

Oren, her little nephew, adored and worshipped her like a goddess. He would follow her around and ask her how to properly use a 'sward'.

She boasted about how proud her father always was about her: from her fierce and outspoken attitude to her skills as a rogue fighter. He always seemed to think that she was the Maker's gift to the world and that she could do no wrong. She believed that he thought of her as higher than she truly was…

He still remembered what he said to her one fateful night, when reminiscing about her family proved to be too much, he whispered in her ear, _"I could be your family..."_

Sisara smiled and nodded in agreement. The tears in her eyes dried up and she just snuggled closer to Alistair, with a single response, _"Only if I can be yours..."_

Alistair smiled as he slowly realized: she already was and he already had a family, thanks to her. Every companion that Sisara had invited into the group had been his family and he had her to thank for that. They had all seen the best and worse of each other, yet they stayed. Wynne was, of course, the grandmother, although not for her age, but for her wisdom and concern for everyone. Sten was that impossible-to-please father that secretly loved them. Oghren was the uncle who was rarely sober. Shale was that aunt everyone had who seems to believe that their generation was worth less than halla droppings and had no problem reminding them. Leliana and Morrigan were his sisters, always pestering him and making him blush.

But most importantly, Sisara had been his family from the start. He just never realized it until now.

As for Sisara herself, it would take a while for her wounds to heal. She had spent most of her time hiding those wounds than healing them that it felt difficult to acknowledge them now. The infamous smile she constantly wore was now fake, she lacked the usual energy that she once had and when they met enemies who wanted to 'negotiate', Sisara did not have her usual quick wit or sense of humor. No, she had not been herself for a while.

But time has helped her deal and cope with her pain. Not only time, but her companions, who all became so much more. She had once thought that the whole Urn quest would only make her friends hate her for lying. But it had done the contrary. After the quest, they understood. And they helped. After three moons, Sisara had gathered everyone around, including Morrigan, to tell them the truth about her past, before she became a Grey Warden. She told them the truth because she believed that they deserved it. They had all been a lot more supportive than Sisara had expected. Sisara's revelation about her past triggered a series of confessions that have been told after that night. First, Oghren had told Sisara that she was the closest thing he had to a family. A few days later, Leliana trusted her enough to tell her the truth about her past. That same day, Shale had told Sisara that she thought that 'it came from a superior lineage'. A week later, Sten had called her 'kadan' for the first time. The very next day, after a visit with the Dalish elves, Wynne informed Sisara that she was very proud of her doing her duties despite her pain. And a week later, there were three revelations: Morrigan had told Sisara that she considered her as a sister. Zevran confessed that Sisara was his first, possibly only and best friend. And Alistair had told her he loved her and they had spent their first night together.

The good news was that the bonds made had provided Sisara with a distraction. The bad news was that Sisara had been too happy and did not take time to consider the outcome of the Blight.

It was safe to say that the night before the final battle with the Archdemon was a complete wake-up call.

But one thing was for sure: Sisara was _not _letting someone she loved die. She had already made up her mind about it: Archdemon or no, Alistair was not dying tomorrow and nothing he would say later could change that.

But Sisara could have never suspected that Alistair had been having the exact same thoughts. Sisara always was the stubborn one between the two of them but to Alistair, this was none-negotiable. And no amount of jokes or sarcastic remarks either of them can say will change their fate tomorrow: one of them must die and both were determined to save the other.

They didn't realize that they had been having too much fun lately. Playtime was over and reality had given them a harsh slap in the face.

Alistair paced back into his room as quickly as possible, surprising Sisara, who had expected him to talk her out of what she had planned to do. When he didn't, she knew that something was up...He was hiding something. And she was determined to stop him.

She walked towards his room until she heard her own name being called in her own room. She recognized the voice. She opened the door and found Morrigan, standing before the fireplace. At first, Sisara was concerned that something was wrong. Then Morrigan explained why she was there.

She offered them a way 'out'.

Sisara still remembers that night. The night that has been the subject of her nightmares of many days.

Oh, Morrigan…it was compassion and understanding for Morrigan's upbringing that lead to Morrigan telling Sisara that she considered her as a friend, maybe even a sister. Sisara dared to tell Morrigan that she truly saw a sister in her. Sisara sometimes had a sneakier, mischievous and darker side that Leliana could not understand. When Sisara needed to express her hate, anger, sadness and overall rage, she went to Morrigan, who understood and did not judge her words, no matter how gruesome they were.

But no matter how close they were, it could not prepare Sisara for what Morrigan had revealed that night. Not only did Morrigan knew their fates this entire time, but she had lied about it. Now that Sisara thought about it, it made perfect sense.

She had once told Morrigan that she could always rely on her. The look on Morrigan's face...Sisara's instincts told her it was of guilt and regret, but she had always told herself that she was tired from defeating a legendary witch and it was dark, so she must have been wrong. Then the tone in Morrigan's voice...Morrigan had told her that too much may happen in the next few days to make such promises. Sisara was confused at first. But she was too tired to question Morrigan.

Now when it came to asking Alistair...

_"I see you can't sleep either." he saw with a false smile, "I also saw Morrigan outside your room earlier, and the look she gave me...That was icy even for her."_

_"You can't sleep? Are you all right?" Sisara asked. 'Stupid question.' she told herself. The man had just been told that one of them would die tomorrow. But surprisingly, Alistair mentioned nothing of this._

_"Not really. All these men look at me and...I see it in their eyes: I'm their king. Suddenly it feels so real. But you're changing the subject. This isn't about me, this is about Morrigan. I'm tired, but I'm not stupid. Is something up?" he asked._

_"You're changing the subject, too." Sisara accused, "We shouldn't be talking about Morrigan and you know it."_

_"So what should we talk about?" he asked, his tone becoming angrier, "How you just volunteered to sacrifice yourself as if your death won't mean anything?"_

_"It will mean less than yours." Sisara argued._

_"The __**hell **__it will!" Alistair yelled, but Sisara didn't even flinch, "Do you know what you're saying? Can you even hear yourself?"_

_"Do you hear yourself? I'm nothing! I'm just the newest Warden, the last of a family name that barely even exists anymore, I am forgettable! You are the King, here, you have Theirin blood, you owe it to your people to live!" Sisara yelled back._

_"This isn't just about whose life is more important to Ferelden, and you know it!" Alistair said, "This is about you and me."_

_"Fine. Do you want me to say it out loud? I've watched too many people I loved die in front of me when I could have saved them. I lost my entire family, Alistair, do you honestly think that I will survive knowing that you died the same way? No, I won't allow it, and guess what, __**your Majesty**__? You can't stop me." Sisara fumed._

_"You say that as if you have a choice." Alistair said, "I know how I feel about you, I won't let you die. Not if I can help it."_

_"And you think that I will let you die? No, I won't let you do it. I won't let you do something that insane!"_

_"Sacrificing myself for the woman I love?" Alistair resumed, then added with a sad smile, "Sanest thing I'll ever do."_

_Sisara shook her head and felt the tears in her eyes. Alistair grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her, as if it would make her forget about everything. It did, for a moment. Sisara closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the kiss, but then remembered that she had more important matters at hand._

_"Alistair...we need to talk. About Morrigan." Sisara told him._

_Alistair sighed, "Then I guess whatever Morrigan had to say, it's big. This is what I get for being king. Everyone brings you the bad news. So what is it then? Rats run amok? Cheese supplies run low? I can take it."_

_Sisara smiled softly. She knew that the enthusiasm was not genuine, but she was surprised at how well he acted like they did not just have a fight on who gets to die tomorrow._

_"No, none of that...I...I love you, you know that, right?" she whispered._

_"Could you make it sound more ominous? Tell me already." he perisisted._

_"I need you to do something you won't like." she began and Alistair was suddenly worried._

_"I don't care for the sound of that. What are we talking about, exactly?" he asked._

_"You need to sleep with Morrigan. As part of a ritual." she finally answered. Usually, Sisara would have probably joked about it. Said something like 'your wildest dreams come true: sex with Morrigan!'. But this was no joke. In fact, just asking him to do this was killing her..._

_"Cute." Alistair laughed, "This is payback, right? For all the jokes?"_

_At least he had a good laugh about it. But after a moment or two had passed and Sisara's expression had not changed, Alistair suddenly realized something, "...But you're not joking, you're actually serious. Wow. Be killed by the Archdemon or sleep with Morrigan, how does someone make that choice? You're not...actually asking me to do this, are you? What kind of ritual is this, anyway?"_

_"I won't lie to you, it will produce a child." she answered nervously._

_"WHAT?!" Alistair exclaimed, "I-I must be hearing things, but are you asking me to impregnate Morrigan in some kind of magical sex rite? This-This child...why would Morrigan want such a thing? Does she want an heir to the throne?"_

_"She told me that she would use it to create an Old God." her voice faltered. Maker, why did this have to be so difficult?!_

_"Oh, that's much better!" Alistair said, taking in his lessons in sarcasm from her, "Here I was worried about creating another bastard heir, and I didn't even consider that it might also be some dragon... god...whatever!"_

_This was not starting off well. Sisara didn't move and she could swear that she felt her heart beat. But she couldn't cry. No, not now. Too much was at stake here. She had to stay focused._

_"Look, even if I was willing to entertain this idea, and I'm not saying that I am, is this really what you want, are you sure?!" Alistair asked._

_'There we go...' Sisara thought, 'There's a chance. All he needs is my okay...But why is it so hard to give it to him? It's what I want, right? It's what's best, right?'_

_The look of desperation in his eyes...he wanted her to call it off immediately. Tell him that she can't ask him to do this. And she was so close to doing it, too. Actually, the truth was with Sisara's silver tongue, she could have probably persuaded him to do it in a second. But she couldn't use her manipulative abilities on him. Not this time. She didn't want to manipulate him into doing it. She wanted him to see that it was for the best._

_"I'm sure that this is the right thing to do." she reasoned._

_Alistair shook his head, "N-No, you can't ask me to do this, not like this..."_

_Sisara sighed, and sat down next to him, "I do not want this any more than you do. But Alistair, look at the facts: Morrigan is not the evil witch you think she is, she is a good person and you know that she would not let this child take over the world. She promised me that she would neither hurt the child nor will the child hurt anyone or anything. And Riordan will live. And so will you and...And so will I."_

_Alistair looked at her and realized that she was right. She was more often than not right. But that didn't mean that Alistair liked it when she was. She looked at him, her green eyes filled with hope. She was begging him and asking him to forgive her at the same time. This was killing her a lot more than she let on. She wanted to cry, he knew, but she remained as stoic as possible._

_Alistair sighed in defeat, "I don't want to do this. But...if it means that you and Riordan will live, then...okay, I'll do it."_

_A few hours had passed and all this time, Sisara sat in her room, thinking she had done it. She had actually asked Alistair to lay with Morrigan._

_And it felt horrible. She stayed in her room, biting her pillow, tasting her bitter tears. She tried to keep her eyes open because everytime they closed, she could only see Alistair. And Morrigan. And what she had made him do._

_He would have never gone through with it if she hadn't asked him to trust her. She made him do something he did not want. At first, she felt angry with herself. She called herself every name in the book and wallowed in self-hatred for a while, until she realized one thing._

_Then she was no longer angry with herself, but her anger was directed towards somebody else._

_After the ritual was done, Alistair felt walked out of the room in the most uncomfortable way possible. His shoulders were raised up against his neck and he shuddered with every movement he took. ''You won't hate this as much as you think will', she said. Liar…"_

_Oh, she was right. He didn't hate it as much as he thought he would. He hated it even __**more**__, because he knew that one room away, his fiancé was well aware of what had happened and he knew that she was probably blaming herself repeatedly._

_She was so close, yet so far away…And who was to say that this little ritual would even work? On whose word? Morrigan's? The idea itself was not very reassuring._

_It couldn't have been over soon enough. He didn't know what to do first: go to Sisara or take a refreshing bath. But as he opened the door and stepped out, he had found Sisara. He didn't know what to expect when he saw her again. Would she be angrier than she was sad or sadder than she was angry?_

_But there she was, in her night clothes, arms crossed and eyes on the ground, leaning against the wall, right in front of their room. The tiny candles did not provide enough light to see the expression on her face. But he knew. He knew that she was trying to remain expressionless. For both of them._

"_Sisa…" he began. Her heart broke as soon as she saw the look on his face: the look that said that he would spend forever and a day apologizing. But why should he? She did this to him. Not Morrigan, not Alistair, she did._

"_Don't." she begged him and shook her head. Alistair cupped her face and wiped away a tear threatening to fall with his thumb. When she finally looked at him in the eyes, he saw what he had seen countless in times in battle: a need to scream and cry, sealed away with a broken smile, but a part of it could still be seen in her green eyes. She smiled but she took his hand off her face gently._

"_I'll…meet you in the room, okay?" her voice held an optimistic tone to it. A stern look from Alistair told her that he wasn't going to let this go. She sighed. She knew that he would mention it later._

"_I just need some time, okay? I won't be long." She promised. Alistair bit his lip reluctantly, but Sisara gave him a little push and he gave in. He'd give her this little moment but he wasn't going to drop it._

_He saw her smile as a goodbye and when he turned, that smile disappeared and replaced by a look on her face that had not been seen since Rendon Howe. She wondered if Morrigan would recognize that face. She wondered if she would even care that it was directed towards her._

_For jealousy was only one of the small, minor emotions that Sisara Cousland was feeling. There was one that surpassed jealousy and anger. One that had almost destroyed her before and one that up until now was the only emotion that enabled her to show compassion or to forgive or to forget._

_She opened the door to reveal Morrigan, already back in her clothes and staring at the fire. One hand held her stomach in a way that Sisara would have described as protective. If Sisara believed that she was capable of feeling anymore._

"_So was that was the only reason you stayed with us?" the voice snapped Morrigan out of her little trance. She turned around and finally met her eyes, trying very hard not to remember the last time that Sisara looked at someone like that. She had heard Sisara talk of the rage she felt inside. But the moments that lead up to the inevitable death of Rendon Howe was the first time that Morrigan truly saw the extent._

_Sisara could forgive. She could forget. She could see past the walls that people would build and she wouldn't climb them, oh no, she would destroy those walls so effortlessly. That ability of hers was almost saint-like. But she was only human. And she could hate as much as any human being could. Or as Morrigan learned, she could hate much more than was healthy for any human. There were some people who were unredeemable in her eyes and if they were unredeemable in her eyes, Morrigan knew with no doubt that the person had probably done something too terrible._

_And for once, Morrigan was speechless. What could you say when the most compassionate person you ever knew looked at you with so much hate?_

"_All that crap about us being sisters, all those times we've vented towards each other, that was just so you can have your baby?" Sisara asked harshly._

_Once again, Morrigan did not answer. And Sisara grew impatient. She knew. She knew that she was hurting Morrigan. But she was hurting, too._

"_You know what's funny?" she laughed. Now it was an entirely different expression. One that was even more unusual than her encounter with Howe. Her laughter was not the laugh of a sane and happy woman. Her laugh was sardonic. One single step away from insanity. "What's funny is that nobody trusted you. Alistair, Wynne, Shale…hell, even Zev didn't trust you. The former assassin who tried to kill me didn't trust you, now what does that say about you?"_

_She was mocking her. Anyone who would mock Morrigan would usually end up as a toad. But Morrigan stood still, letting her words hit her as if she was a darkspawn and her words were her daggers._

"_Everyone had their suspicions towards you, thought you were up to no good. But you know who didn't? Do you know who was the one person that never doubted you for a second? That would have trusted you with her own life?" Another laugh. This one crueler than the last. "One that risked her life and kill a legendary, all-powerful witch to ensure your safety?"_

_And yet, Morrigan kept her lips shut tight. She wanted to answer 'You. 'Twas you who was the only one who ever truly cared about me in my entire life.'_

_But she didn't say anything._

"_We both know the answer to that, Morrigan." She snapped. Her voice was no longer laced with maniacal malice, but replaced with a cold, hard nature. "But you know what the funniest part is? The fact that Alistair, Zevran, Wynne, and everyone else…they were right. They knew from day one that you would backstab me and you know what? I would always defend you. I told them that they didn't understand you like I did. I told them to understand that you did not have an easy life. And since they trusted me, they believed me. Or at least, tried to. They tried to accept you as one of their own. Do you remember, Morrigan? When Alistair began to ask you little questions to get to know you better? Or when Wynne complimented your abilities? Or when Leliana offered you a seat on our side of the camp when she sang to us for the very first time? They tried to know you, for my sake…Tried to trust you. And believe it or not, they do. Did. But…that was always your plan, wasn't it?"_

_She had to answer. Say something. Now._

"'_Twas not part of the plan…" Morrigan cringed at her own voice. She barely recognized it. She sounded weak and upset. It did not sound like the way it did yesterday. But then again, yesterday was so different from today. It seemed to be a thousand years apart._

"_**LIAR.**__" Sisara yelled. "…I fought beside you. I defended you. I laughed with you, I cried with you, I screamed with you, I smiled with you! You were my sister!"_

_A few moments of silence, the only sounds coming from the lips of Sisara Cousland. No longer was she angry. Rage had gone and was replaced with genuine hurt. Angry screams and accusations were followed by sounds of sobs. In those moments, Morrigan had contemplated her actions. She had only heard Sisara Cousland cry once before. It hurt her then and it hurt her now._

"_You were my sister…" she repeated, "And all this time, I was never yours."_

_Sisara looked into Morrigan's eyes. She could see that they shone under the fire's light. But she did not say a word. Instead she walked away. Sisara did not look back. Morrigan had sworn to stay until after the final battle. But both women knew better. They knew that if Sisara saw Morrigan again and had a weapon in her hands, the darkspawn would have to wait._

_They had understood each other more than most people could. So they did not need to say any words for either of them to know that this would be the last time they would see each other._

She hasn't heard from Morrigan since. And…she believes that it is a good thing. She still held a grudge against Morrigan. Even if Morrigan were to go down on her knees and beg for forgiveness (Ha! As if she would do that!), Sisara still had rage against her and could not bring herself to forgive her.

At times, Sisara felt regret for the way she spoke to Morrigan. But on the other hand, she was only human. And she could only forgive for so much...Morrigan knew something vital and important and lied to her. She has spent quite some time wondering whether or not Morrigan's heartfelt words to her were as sincere as they seemed or were they all just a ruse?

Well, Morrigan wanted to leave right after, then so be it. Sisara had no idea where Morrigan went after that night. Did she leave? Was she at the battle? She didn't know, for she never saw her. But since the ritual did work, Sisara could only assume that Morrigan had been hiding somewhere during the battle.

Either way, the very next day, it was too late to think of Morrigan and what became of her. For the Blight came a lot faster than she thought...

_They had marched to Denerim and the gates were filled with darkspawn. Sisara had given everything she had, remembering that this was just the beginning. When she shot an arrow at one of the darkspawn, that darkspawn had killed one of the Redcliffe soldiers and caused Sisara to pause. It could have been anyone she cared about...She realized that, yes, perhaps either she or Alistair would lose his or her life to the Archdemon but anyone of the people who fought alongside her could lose their lives to the darkspawn._

_She suddenly realized that death was all around her. It became a natural part of the world, it seemed, covering every piece of land with a corpse. Whose corpse, it did not matter. What mattered was that this was war and Sisara had a huge role in it. She had heard nothing but cries of war, of pain, of fatigue..._

_Maker, you'd think she would be used to this bloodshed by now. Why was it affecting her so much now?_

"_**SISARA**__!" Alistair's voiced seemed to be the only thing that Sisara heard above the noise. He snapped her back into reality and she shook her head as if to shake the thoughts away from her. She turned her head to see her fiancé. Covered in darkspawn blood, sweat and plunging his sword in a Hurlock, "__**Will you marry me?**__"_

_Sisara could briefly see the confused expressions in the eyes of her companions. All seemed to think the same way she did: they had just begun the final battle. In a matter of moments, they would be up against the Archdemon. Was now really the time?_

"_YOUR MA-JES-TYYY!" Zevran yelled mockingly, "As…romantic…as…proposing to a woman…during a battle…is….YOU REALLY NEED TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MOMENTS!" he yelled in between sword swings._

"_Alistair, as sweet as this is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Zevran!" Wynne agreed._

"_Are you sodding mad? You got a date with the Archdemon first!" Oghren reminded him as he drunkenly swung his axe over his head._

"_I believe that it has indeed begun to lose its sanity!" Shale commented as she gathered her strength and crushed a group of darkspawn._

"_And you all wonder why the Qunari have no respect for you people…" Sten muttered under his breath._

_Even Barkspawn barked in disbelief!_

"_I believe I was asking Sisara's hand, not the entire world's!" Alistair defended. Sisara, who was too busy defeating an Alpha, was suddenly back-to-back with Alistiar. He looked over his head and asked her, "So, will you?"_

"_Alistair, we've already agreed that we are getting married during the Landsmeet, remember?!" Sisara reminded him._

"_I meant marry me now!" Alistair clairified as he bashed his shield against a hurlock with a bow aimed at Sisara._

"_Why? So we can spend our honeymoon with the __**Archdemon**__?!" Sisara barked back._

"_Over my dead body am I letting you get married without a-AHH! Without a white dress!" Leliana commented from afar and yelled as she dodged an arrow._

"_Her armor is white-ish, close enough!" Alistair defended. He spotted an Emissary hiding and charged towards it, separating from Sisara._

"_Alistair, I love you, but I really don't think that this is the best time!" Sisara despaired as she ducked and kicked a darkspawn 'below the belt'._

"_Now may be the only time!" Alistair said in despair as he gave the Emissary a final swing of his sword._

"_Don't say that!" Sisara told him, "They'll be plenty of ti-"_

"_SISARA, MOVE!" Alistair yelled as he ran towards Sisara as fast as he could. Behind her, an Ogre prepared itself to crush her but Alistair pushed her out of the way just in time. He fell on top of her until they were face-to-face on the ground._

"_Sisara Cousland, I love you. We don't know if this ritual will work or not. Morrigan has disappeared and I don't know whether she's hiding and if her not being with us compromises the ritual. Frankly, I'm not willing to enter death without claiming you as mine first. And I know that the time and location are well, less than ideal...far from perfect. But remember what I said? If things were perfect, we would have never even met...Wouldn't it be a story to tell if we could say that if things were perfect, we would have never gotten married?" Alistair told her. Their lips so close yet they never met. Sisara could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Alistair's shield and pushed it behind his back, blocking a genlock that jumped on them._

_This snapped Alistair back into action. He stood up and attempted to bash the genlock in, losing his shield in the process. He grabbed his sword and attempted to stab it, only to have his fiancé shoot an arrow through its eye first. He turned around and looked into her eyes. Hopeful. Even in what may very well be the last battle of their lives, she still brought him into a place he could only describe as paradise._

"_Zevran! Leliana! Wynne! Sten! Shale! Barkspawn! Oghren! Assemble now!" she yelled. Her team did as commanded and huddled close to her and Alistair as soon as possible, forming somewhat of a circle around them._

"_What's the problem, boss?" Oghren asked._

_Alistair looked at her, awaiting an answer. A grin spread across Sisara's face, "Wouldn't want you to miss the wedding."_

_Alistair's face lit up and with one hand, he grabbed Sisara's other hand. She hung her bow on the quiver on her back and took out the Rose's Thorn. They both smiled at each other as they held each other's hand and killed the darkspawn that surrounded them with the other._

"_**EAMON**__! Marry us!" Sisara yelled to Arl Eamon, who was a bit further away._

_Eamon overheard the loud Warden's request and his eyes widened. He didn't know whether they were wide because of the silly request or because one of the Emissaries had him in Cone of Cold spell, "I'm a little busy at the moment! You know, fighting for my life!" he yelled as he broke through the spell and charged at the Emissary with his sword._

"_If you insist on getting married now, I call being Sisara's maid of honor!" Leliana claimed._

"_And why does it get to be the maid of honor?" Shale demanded._

"_Yes, you cannot just assume an position like that! If that were possible, I would have called myself Sisara's groom!" Zevran said._

"_**ARAINAI**__!" Alistair threatened._

"_Oh, I am only half-kidding, your Majesty, you know that! Fine, if Leliana gets to be maid of honor, I call being best man." Zevran insisted._

"_Sod off, Elf, that position is mine!" Oghren protested, smashing the darkspawn in front of Zevran. The two were shocked to see an Alpha Hurlock right behind the darkspawn that Oghren smashed._

_Thankfully, Sten stabbed the Alpha from behind with Asala, "And what makes either of you so worthy to be this 'best' man?"_

"_EVERYBODY, QUIET! I'm the bride, Ali's the groom, Leliana's the maid of honor, Zev's the best man and the rest of you can be bride's maids or groomsmen but guess what? There won't be a wedding unless Eamon marries us!" Sisara shrieked._

"_May I point out that you are planning a wedding and fighting for your lives at the same time?!" Wynne said._

"_We're aware of the circumstances…" Sisara added sheepishly._

"_Eamon, I swear to the Maker, if you don't marry us now, I will give the throne to Oghren!" Alistair threatened._

"_I resent that, I'd make a fine king!" Oghren protested, closing his eyes as darkspawn blood spilled on it. He was trying very hard to focus solely on_

"_Before or after you order all the liquors to be sent to you in a golden mug?" Zevran questioned, using the Mark of Death on that pesky Emissary._

"_**FINE**__!" Eamon gave in. He approached the group and began, "Dearly beloved and soon to be departed, we are gathered here today to end the Blight and begin the union between these two Wardens and we-__**ALPHA OGRE APPROACHING**__!"_

_Alistair and Sisara looked behind the group to see the Ogre. They gave each other one look and nodded, "We'll hold him off, take care of the rest!" Sisara yelled. The pair, both still with one hand holding the other ran towards the Ogre and jumped on his chest and stabbed him._

_The Ogre yelled in pain and Alistair looked at Sisara, "Sisara Cousland, you are the only person I know who has been there for me. Even when you barely knew me, you stood by my side and helped me save the world when you could have just ran. You are the bravest, brightest and most beautiful woman I have ever known. You see the best in everyone and it is because of you that so many of us are here, getting a chance a redemption. It is because of you that I feel that my life is complete, despite the things that surround us, so I ask you if you will do me the honor of-__**LOOK OUT**__!" he yelled. Sisara looked to her left and saw the Ogre's hand reaching out to grab her. She retaliated by removing her dagger from his chest and slashing his hand. This caused Alistair to lose his balance and fall back on top of her._

"_Oh, sod it. Sisa, will you take me as your husband?!" Alistair asked her._

"_I do!" Sisara smiled, in spite of their current situation. Alistair smiled, "Yay!" he exclaimed sheepishly and stood back up. The Ogre, which had been distracted from the blood coming out of its hands and chest, roared at Alistair and Sisara._

_Sisara rolled her eyes in annoyance, "You annoying, big pile of…" she discontinued her phrase as she grabbed her Beastman dagger from her belt and, using both daggers to balance herself, jumped on the Ogre's chest sans Alistair now, and began to use it to stab and climb on top of the Ogre._

"_Alistair Theirin," she began, still attached to the Ogre, but facing Alistair, "You know everything about me. Good and bad, and you love me not in spite of it, but because of it! You make me laugh and smile even when all I want to do is scream and cry. You taught me how to love and made me forget my hate! Will you take me as your wife, in sickness and in health-health being the least likely-until…no, even after death do us part?" Sisara asked. During this whole time, when she reached the Ogre's neck, she climbed on it and slit its throat with her two daggers. As it fell, she fell along with it. But she kept her balance and fell right into Alistair's arms._

"_After __**that **__move? I do." Alistair grinned at her. They both smiled at each other. Alistair felt a bit foolish staring into her eyes in the middle of the fight, but then he noticed her eyes changing from happy to worried as she grabbed his shoulders and rolled him to the side, both avoiding the axe that fall on the ground next to Sisara. Alistair grabbed Sisara by her waist and pushed them both back up. With one hand still around her waist, he kept her close as killed the darkspawn that held the axe while Sisara slashed a Hurlock that ran towards them, with one hand around Alistair's neck._

"_By the order of Ferelden's Regent vested in me by…Well, Alistair, just now, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Presenting for the very first time, His Royal Majesty King Alistair Theirin and his bride, Her Royal Majesty Queen Sisara Theirin, formerly Cousland! You may now kiss the-!" Eamon was interrupted as he quickly bashed the tip of his shield in the mouth of a genlock that snuck by him._

"_You may now kiss the br-" Once again, he was interrupted as a Shriek clawed his chest. The shriek was quickly silenced as Leliana shot an ice arrow to its head._

_"You may now ki-" Another interruption by a rage shade. Eamon rolled his eyes and swung his sword at it, _"_Oh, sod it, __**ALISTAIR**__! Just kiss the woman while you still have lips!" Eamon yelled._

_Alistair grabbed Sisara by the waist and dipped her, "No need to tell me twice…" he smirked. Sisara grabbed his head and pushed his lips on hers._

_It was pretty risky of them to have both their eyes closed, especially when a genlock on the left was running towards them with a darkspawn dagger and Shriek to the right was preparing itself to claw them, but Wynne's magic and Leliana's arrow stopped them in time._

"_Yay, huzzah, you're married now, as if you haven't been since you met, now I know how difficult it is especially with one as luscious as Sisara Cous-Pardon, Theirin, but will you two please save the honeymoon until after we have won?" Zevran begged._

"_Careful, Zevran, can't call Sisara luscious in front of her husband anymore!" Leliana giggled._

"_I'm afraid that the after-party will have to be postponed until after we deal with the Archdemon." Riordan ran towards them, "Congratulations, though, your Majesties."_

To say it was a wedding to remember was a bit of an understatement. It was rather comical, in a way. Years later, one of the infamous ballads that spoke of Alistair and Sisara, written by Leliana, of course, would mention that they 'exchanged their vows as the Alpha Ogre took its final bow'. Of course, they would have to have a proper wedding months later. But that wedding, in the middle of the war, would always be _the _wedding for them.

Only a few hours after their impromptu wedding, Sisara would be well on her way to earn her infamous 'Hero of Ferelden' title.

_There are many thoughts that would come seconds before slaying an Archdemon. One might think of regret, family, love, happiness, sacrifice...Sisara has thought so much of those things before the battle even began that none of them came to mind._

_In fact, if one were to ask Sisara what would be her final thoughts before slaying the Archdemon, she would answer that she found it funny and ironic that she slay the Archdemon with the one weapon she was never fully able to grasp. A heavy sword that required two hands was too slow for her in battle, but it was the perfect weapon for the final blow. Fergus used to tease her constantly about it. She was as graceful, accurate, deadly and almost hypnotic to watch with a dagger and a bow in her hands but give her any weapon heavier than a one-handed sword and she would swing it around clumsily, focusing more on the weapon than the actual target._

_Oh, how he would have been surprised. All the adrenaline in Sisara's body boosted her strength. It seemed that from head to toe, she was covered in darkspawn blood and her armor had some tears from a Shriek's claws. Her braid had come untied at some point during battle and she didn't notice one bit. She grabbed the sword that was plunged deep into the body of a poor soldier and ran towards the Archdemon, breathing heavily as she did. The Archdemon was just at the brink of death._

_Sisara slit its throat as she slid under it and climbed on top of its body. With a loud war cry, she stabbed the Archdemon, ending its life as she did so._

_It was the most painful thing that Sisara has ever went through in her entire life. It literally felt like her entire body was on fire, but that wasn't the most painful part, no. What was painful was the feeling that her actual soul was being torn apart from her body. Sisara suddenly feared that the ritual did not work, despite Morrigan's promise that it would. She wanted to release the sword but she was frozen. There was only one way Sisara could describe it: she was feeling the pain that the Archdemon was feeling. She and the Archdemon became one._

_She felt like she was dying, as was the Archdemon. Slowly and painfully. She opened her eyes and briefly saw a large light that seemed to emerge from the Archdemon and her. Then a final wave of shock and pain once again before the light disappeared. The light came from the Archdemon and touched Sisara, yes, but when it was over, the light seemed to fly away from the rooftop and find its way elsewhere. Sisara had come to the realization that the light was, in fact, the Archdemon's soul. The Archdemon, or the dragon's scales, internal organs and bones seemed to burn away and left ashes in its wake. When the organs burned, Sisara fell unconscious and was buried under purple ashes._

_The light had blinded those who were at the rooftop. When Alistair opened his eyes, he feared for the worst._

_"...Sisara?" he called out, but there was no response. He smelled something that burned and smoke covered the rooftop. He could see the general shape of the people that were still alive, but the place where the Archdemon once was seemed to be empty._

_"Sisara?!" he said, even louder this time. And still no response. He could feel the tears arrive..._

_The smoke began to clear and Alistair's heart stopped. There were only ashes where the Archdemon once was. And no sign of her. The tears formed in his eyes and were threatening to fall any second..._

_"__**SISARA!**__" he yelled desperately. This time, there was no stopping it. Tears fell from his face and he breathed heavily as he stared at the ashes._

_She wasn't dead. She just wasn't. Alistair felt it in his bones, this was not her time yet. Not here. Not now..._

_Around him, every one of his companions stared at the ashes in anticipation. Wynne bit her lip and shook her head: Sisara was stronger than this. She could not be dead! Leliana covered her mouth and fell on her knees. Zevran turned around, refusing anyone to see his first tear since he was a child. Oghren didn't believe in the Maker. But he knew that she did. So he decided that a little prayer was worth a shot. Sten and Shale bowed their heads solemnly. A million thoughts were rushing in their heads. None of them they wanted to voice out loud._

_She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't..._

_But Barkspawn barked loudly and his tail wagged. Alistair was beyond confused as he saw this. Barkspawn only wagged his tail when he was happy. So why would he do it now?_

_Unless..._

_Alistair ran towards the ashes, bent to his knees and dug._

_"Oh, Alistair..." Wynne whispered. To everyone else, he only looked like a man desperate to find the woman he so hopelessly loved, knowing that there was no hope. She walked towards him, in an attempt to stop his heartache. But Wynne felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find the little redhead, tears in her eyes and shaking her head. It would hurt him more if they tried to stop him._

_The amount of ashes left was grand, but Alistair still pushed them all. He sensed behind him that everyone had given up. But she couldn't be dead, no...She was Sisara Theirin. Her life could not be ending for it was just beginning._

_"Why must he do this?" Zevran's angry voice was heard. Some turned their heads to him, shocked to find the assassin facing the wall. Everyone knew that the two rogues were close. And the fact that this was the first time that they heard Zevran's voice like that... "Give us all hope when we know that she...she..."_

_Zevran was silenced by a loud bark and heavy panting. Everyone turned their heads back to Barkspawn who ran towards Alistair and..._

_Alistair had pushed one last pile of ashes aside and revealed Sisara, coughing out the ashes and slowly opening her eyes. It was amazing to see Alistair's expression change in a blink of an eye. He grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her out of the ashes and rester her head on his knees._

_"Alistair..." Sisara breathed._

_Alistair could have jumped for joy, "You're...alive."_

_"I know...just barely, but alive. So, um...did we kill the Archdemon?" she asked, catching her breath at each word._

_"Yes...Yes, Sisa, you did." Alistair smiled and even chuckled as he gently smoothed her untied hair away from her face. He bent down and kissed her on the lips. Their lips were dry, they smelled of blood and one of them was covered with the ashes of an Archdemon. But as Alistair once said, if things were perfect, they would have never even met each other. Alistair then rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, silently thanking the Maker for sparing their lives. He could have sworn tears of joy were threatening to fall any moment but he blinked them back._

_"Okay, well...great!" Sisara said, raising a tired fist up in the air in triumph, only for it to fall back down on the ground lazily. Alistair stood back up and laughed at his wife's antics. He stared at her face, resting on his knees so peacefully. He helped her sit up and she ended up sitting in between his legs with his arms around her. With a soft smile, she looked up in the sky. The seemingly red sky seemed to change into a more peaceful shade of blue._

_"We did it...we actually did it." Sisara said breathlessly, "To be honest, a small part of me doubted it but here we are..."_

_"I never doubted you for a second." Alistair told her. Together, they watched the transition of the sky and just took a moment to bask in the present: they were together, the Blight was over and they were alive. In Sisara's wildest dreams, she could not have imagined things to end so well, but they did._

_And moments later, after getting over their general disbelief, the rest of the gang came to see them. If either Alistair or Sisara looked at the moments before Alistair find Sisara and after, they would have been bewildered at the sudden change of expressions among their companions._

_"I knew the Archdemon was no match for mi hermosa!" Zevran was the first to run towards them. Sisara laughed and spread her arms out for a hug, which Zevran gladly accepted. Alistair had not moved an inch from where he was and Zevran couldn't help but stick his tongue out in a teasing attempt to make him jealous._

_Alistair rolled his eyes and smiled, "It's good to see you alive, Zev." Instead, and this time, it was honest. Sisara noticed that this may have been the first time that Alistair called him 'Zev' and smiled._

_"Likewise, Alistair. Or should I say your Majesty?"_

_"Not yet." Alistair smirked. Behind Zevran was Leliana who was frantic and ran towards Sisara and gave her a hug, "You're alive, you're alive, you're alive!" she cried._

_Sisara laughed and hugged the little Orlesian girl back, "I know, Leliana, I think I would know if I were dead."_

_"No, but I mean..." Leliana blinked back tears, "I was so sure that there was no way to save you. Every song I ever knew about tales of the Grey Wardens and the Blight...they always ended in tragedy. I'm just glad that you are the exception."_

_Leliana's reaction almost made Sisara herself cry, but instead she smiled and said, "Well, you're crying now but in a few minutes, you'll be berating me for having a wedding in the middle of the final battle."_

_Leliana smiled through her tears and just looked at Sisara for a moment. It truly was hard for her to grasp that Sisara was there, alive and well and talking to her! It was in that moment that the doubt that Marjolaine had caused disappeared in an instant: there is a Maker and he was looking out for all of them._

_Barkspawn ran up to Sisara and licked her blood-covered face, causing her to laugh and give her Mabari a hug. Honestly, Barkspawn was the one creature that has stood by her side ever since she was a child. It seemed odd for some to hold so much love for a hound, but the truth was hounds weren't at all like people. It didn't matter to the hound who you were or what you did. It imprints on you from the moment they see you and they stand by your side through thick and thin. So when all is said and done, who could ask for a better friend?_

_"We're all alive!" Oghren said, his fist up in the air and running towards Sisara, "You had me scared there for a moment, Warden. You owe me a pint for that one!"_

_Sisara laughed, "Aw, Oghren, are you admitting that you were scared for my life?"_

_Oghren blushed, "I-um...I...Aw, sod it, Warden, you know I told you that you're practically family to me!"_

_"Family that you hit on when you're drunk." Zevran smirked._

_Alistair's ears perked up, "I'm sorry, family that what?"_

_Oghren glared at Zevran, who was still smirking._

_"You are alive." Everyone turned to see Shale. Although the comment was blunt, observational and told in a matter-of-factly, one word made it stand out._

_"I'm a 'you' again?" Sisara smirked, "Careful, Shale, or people might actually think that you've grown fond of me."_

_Shale smiled, or at least tried to with her stony features, "Perish the thought."_

_"It appears that I was correct." Sten followed and Sisara knew exactly what he meant. The night before, Sisara had a conversation with Sten. She had to talk to someone about her fears but she needed someone who was honest. Who wouldn't take her feelings into consideration and tell her the truth even if hurts. Sten was the one she had found and he had told her that someone as worthy as her could not die yet. Sisara didn't believe him at first._

_"Thank the Maker you were because we can't allow you to be wrong about anything now, could we?" Sisara smirked. For a moment there, Sisara could have sworn that she saw Sten smirk back. Or perhaps it was the drowsiness of defeating a dragon...god...whatever._

_"Well, well, well, Sisara Theirin, you have just slayed the Archdemon, saved Ferelden and got married all on the same night. How does it feel?" Wynne asked._

_"Oh, great! Good exercise and training, too. Honestly, I'd do it all again if I had to." Sisara smiled._

_Wynne laughed. Archdemon or no, Sisara was still Sisara. A witty nature before anything. Wynne could not help but smile. "You've come so far, my dear...Know that I truly meant what I said before and I'm proud of you."_

_"Ah, my elegant Wynne, you wound me. I sense some favoritism?" Zevran joked._

_"Oh, I'm proud of all of you." Wynne laughed, "I am proud of every single one of you standing with us today. We are all so different from one another. Different stories, origins and lives. We all have our share of pain and sorrow and anger, just as we all have our happiness. Yet thanks to our little hero here, our stories have been collected and made into one. We have shared each other's pain and soothed it whenever possible. We have helped each other find long lost family, regrets, enemies and did what we had to do to make each other feel better. Once upon a time, we were all strangers, living our own lives and there was a large possibility that we would have never met. Any one of you could have left. Sisara gave you that choice time and again, but none of you did. And you could have made the choice last night. You could have ran for your life and left the rest behind and yet here you all are, standing proudly by the Grey Wardens' sides, risking your life for them. Whatever path we walk here on out, we will always know that we have once been each other's companions, allies, saviors and most importantly, each other's friends."_

_"Wynne..." Sisara whispered softly, deeply touched._

_"I always knew you had a soft spot for me." Zevran smirked, only to be hit by Wynne's staff on top of his head. "Ow!"_

_"Now that we've got all that settled...Sisara Theirin, I cannot believe you got married that way! Where's the dress? Where's the shoes? Where's the cake? Was the cake a lie? I swear, if you weren't exhausted from killing that Maker-foresaken Archdemon, I would kill you!" Leliana ranted. She was pretending to be annoyed, but at this point, she was just happy everyone was alive._

_Sisara chuckled. As once again, she looked up in the sky, with the sound of Leliana ranting, she saw the sun come out and if she didn't know any better, she would think that the sun was shining on her and her companions. Sisara had once been a firm believer in the Maker as a child, though she admits part of that belief seemed to have diminished the night that Howe betrayed her family. But now...now she stood there, not unbroken, not unbent, but alive and everyone she considered to be her new family was alive._

_She realized that the faith she had once lost was on its way back and it was clear that the Maker was telling her something at that moment: it was a brand new day and everything had changed._

_As she looked up to Alistair, she noticed that he was staring at her this whole time. She looked at his hand and hers, and realized that officially, there should be a ring on both their fingers._

_Yes, everything had changed. In more ways than one._

_**Five months later...**_

_"My feet are killing me. How long until we reach Highever? And where'd the guards go?" Alistair asked as he jumped out of the carriage. His favorite rag-tag group of misfit toys had been scattered around the area for a little break._

_Yes, it has been well over a few months since the Blight. It was now Harvestmere, a personal favorite time of the year for Alistair. He loved the color of the leaves that changed, the fact that it was the perfect temperature, never too cold, nor too warm, and it was just the perfect time for Sisara and him to just lay around doing nothing._

_Well, they hadn't been doing __**nothing **__in that carriage. But that was beside the point._

_Even in these few months, there was the occasional time when everyone from his Blight days had promised to visit Ferelden just to see each other. In this case, in a few days, it would be Sisara's birthday. And although it took a lot of pleading and convincing, everyone had managed to show up and they were all currently on their way to Highever for a feast._

_"I see that despite the fact that it has been King for over a few months, it is still a gigantic pain on one's hindquarters." Shale commented dryly, "And to answer its question, the guards are out searching for food."_

_"Hey, I'll have you know that I studied governance right after my coronation! And Sisara, Eamon and Wynne helped me a bit with politics, you know." Alistair defended himself._

_"Your feet are killing you? You've spent the whole journey sleeping inside the carriage with Sisara!" Leliana exclaimed._

_"Oh, believe me, my beautiful Chantry sister, they have been doing a lot more than sleeping." Zevran grinned as he took a bite out of the rabbit stick that had been cooked. But before he could take a second bite, the stick was snatched away from him by Sisara, who emerged out of the carriage quicker than usual._

_"Thank the Maker, I am starving!" she exclaimed with relief as she devoured the rabbit._

_"Um...that was mine?" Zevran said sheepishly._

_"Sorry, Zev…I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I've been acting really odd lately. Yesterday, for example, I asked the cook to stop making those asparagus stews because the smell was too strong. It occurred to me that almost every scent now seems to be too strong. And maybe it's because there are moments when I'm energetic then unexplicably tired the next, but I'm craving the strangest things lately." Sisara said._

_"Oh, well, if you find yourself craving something a little more __**foreign**__…" he winked suggestively, "You know where to find me."_

_"You do realize that I'm the Queen and I can have you tortured for that comment, right?" Sisara laughed._

_"And somehow that makes the idea even more…enthralling. I always did like a woman in a position of power." Zevran said._

_"Hey, quit hitting on my wife!" Alistair whined, which only earned a laugh from Sisara._

_"Alistair, you know that you are the only one who gets to see me in any sort of position." Sisara said._

_"Believe me, I know." He answered cheekily as he put an arm around her waist and leaned her towards the carriage._

_"Aw, well, isn't this sweet?" an unfamiliar voice said. The voice snapped everyone back into reality, even slightly drunk Oghren, "And look! They look rich, too. Perfect."_

_"Bandits, really?" Sisara mocked, unimpressed. Despite the lack of guards and the only ones around were the same group she had during the Blight, they were all amused. Together, they had faced an army of darkspawn and the Archdemon. And there were still bandits around that tried to rob them._

_"That is so adorable, they think they're going to kill us. Isn't that adorable?" Sisara asked everyone with false giddiness._

_"Shut your mouth, woman! You got some nerve talkin' to us like that!" the leader said._

_This only made Sisara laugh harder, "My good man, do you even know who we are?"_

_"Hey, boss, ain't them the people who done kill the Archdemon?" one of the dumber bandits recognized them._

_"Don't be stupid! The people who killed the Archdemon are somewhere in Denerim, drinkin' wine and getting smashed off their socks!" the bandit claimed._

_"Don't be speakin' no bad about them, boss! I heard that the King and Queen are the most fearsome people yet and they have the strongest friends!" he said._

_"I hear that the King swung his sword to the ground and split the earth into two!"_

_The bandits, previously trying so hard to look so tough and deadly, now looked like excited worshippers of the infamous Heroes of Ferelden. They all got too excited and started sharing their knowledge of said heroes, as if they were in a tavern somewhere as opposed to standing before them right now._

_"I hear that they call the Queen the 'Ferelden Phoenix' because after the Archdemon died and its ashes lay on the rooftop, the Queen rose from it!"_

_"I heard the dwarf that the Queen travelled with is the first dwarf to ever become lieutenant!"_

_"I heard the Queen spared the life of an assassin who was s'posed to kill her and she ended up becoming the assassin's lover!"_

_Zevran sniggered, Alistair twitched and Sisara raised her eyebrow, "If only such legends were true, my friend." Zevran quipped._

_"I heard that the Queen's mage friend practically brought her back from the dead!"_

_"Yeah, and I heard the Queen's a real babe!" one of the bandits from the back exclaimed, earning a cheer of approval from the other bandits. Alistair could feel his eye twitch for a second._

_"Will you all shut up about kings and queens and the bloody Archdemon! And YOU!" the leader said, pointing the sword at Sisara, "You will be the first to die." He threatened as he began to walk towards her. __Now, normally, anyone who told this to Sisara would not only have Sisara cutting them up like fine cheese, but would have everyone else charge with the might of the Maker. But instead, Sisara didn't even flinched. In fact, she looked bored._

_"…Oh, you poor stupid idiot." Sisara said, "I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or laugh at you."_

_"How about both?" Alistair suggested, "Both is good!"_

_"That's how I feel, anyway." Leliana giggled._

_"Yes, maybe next they will attempt to kill you with those silverware they call swords." Sten deadpanned._

_Oghren laughed boisterously and slapped Sten's back, earning a glare from him, "Hey, look, Sten made a funny!"_

_"You know, I almost feel sorry for them. What do you say we let them go?" Wynne suggested innocently._

_"If it feels sorry for them, feel free to leave them to my care. I have not had the pleasure of squishing things for a while." Shale added._

_"Yes, but I think that the usual pigeons you chase are a lot more of a challenge than these people." Alistair said. The result was a collective laugh from the group, even Sten cracked a smile._

_The bandits were very, very confused. Everyone, no exception, was afraid of bandits. And here these people were, laughing and joking around like the bandits were children threatening warriors. The leader was red all over, and ran towards Sisara and pointed a dagger right under her chin, "YOU WILL SHUT UP!"_

_Sisara fell on her knees and pretended to cry, "Oh, no! Is that a real dagger?!"_

_"Yes, it's a real dagger!" The leader smirked. Finally, he had shut the wench up!_

…_He was too busy feeling proud of himself that he did not notice her companions were barely containing their laughters._

_"Oh, no! You've found the Hero of Ferelden's weakness! It's small daggers that can barely cut butter!" she pretended to wail in despair._

_"Wait…what did you say?" the leader asked, bending down to her level._

_"Oh, sure, I defeated the Archdemon but if the Archdemon wielded the same small, dull daggers you have, I would have never been able to survive! No! Keep your knives away from me! Never tell the world that you have found the Queen's one weakness! Get it away from me! Oh, what a world!" Sisara was actually starting to have fun as she began to pretend to melt. This time, Alistair, Zevran and Oghren were literally bursting out laughing. Even Barkspawn had been barking in a way that one could only assume was for laughter._

_"Did you just say you were the-" "Boss, look out!" the bandit yelled, for he saw what the leader did not. Sisara had grabbed the sword from the leader's belt and did a whirlwind, knocking his dagger out of his hands._

_And it became a fight, or at least, training. But no one was feeling tired or restless. Call them insane, or perhaps a bit too careless, but they were actually enjoying this._

_"Ah, it's a mighty fine day for bloodshed!" Oghren exclaimed happily._

_"Tell me about it!" Sisara laughed._

_After a while, the bandit leader suddenly got it into his head that he wasn't messing with the typical group of people here. His brain kind of wrapped around that idea when three of them rogues were moving faster than the speed of life, three of them warrior types were taking out his men like they were made of leaves, that one mage practically bringing people back from the dead (or close to it anyway) and that mabari dog that seemed to have the strength of twenty men. Just before Sisara struck the final blow, one of the dumber bandits went on his knees, "We yield! We yield! I...I didn't know we were up against the King and Queen! To be honest...with all them legends about you people, we thought you were too powerful to be true! Oh, Maker, a woman that rises from the ashes of an Archdemon?! How was we supposed to know you were a real person?! Your...Your Majesties, spare our lives, we beg of you!"_

_"'Woman that rises from the ashes of an Archdemon'...Oh, well, I supposed it's somewhat accurate. How do I know that you won't come back and kill other innocent people?" Sisara challenged._

_"Spare __**their **__lives." the bandit leader said, "It was my stupid mistake that got us all into this mess. My boys don't deserve to die for that."_

_"But Maurice, you can't!" one of them said, "What will...what are we going to tell her?"_

_But the bandit leader, Maurice, turned around in anger, "There was never a future for us! She is...her and I am I. She would have never told me she loved me out loud and if she did, I doubt that there would be any truth to her words."_

_He turned back to Sisara. He dropped his weapons, walked towards her and went on his knees, "Release my men and do whatever you see fit with me, your Majesty."_

_"Alright, let's tie them up." Zevran said casually._

_"Are you joking? No, we're not taking any chances!" Alistair protested._

_"Wait..." Sisara said and took a moment to observe the bandits up close. The armor they wore was the cheapest armor anyone could possibly buy and the same quality could be found in their weapons. Sisara had spent so much time against darkspawn that she was shocked to find that the bandits she had seen earlier turned out to be nothing but young men, some even younger than her or some older than...well, Wynne and none of them at the right age to start these kinds of business._

_She was so caught up in the idea of fighting that she barely saw the false bravado in every one of their eyes. The truth was that they were all frightened. And when she recalled the few moments before the fight, they were still frightened but hiding._

_And the leader, Maurice...it was as if he actually wanted to die._

_Sisara grabbed one of her daggers: it wasn't her favorite dagger, but it was of the finest quality. Dragonbone and enchanted with fire runes, compliments of Sandal. It could cut through darkspawn skin like it was silk so the damage was even greater on a human. One simple swing at his neck and Maurice could be gone for good._

_She raised the dagger up in the air, ready to kill him. She saw the other bandits' reactions. They didn't attempt to kill her, nor did they protest. They closed their eyes and bowed their heads solemnly, dreading for their leader...or friend. At that moment, only one thought crossed her mind..._

_That one thought was enough._

_"...Oh, sod it." Sisara groaned._

_The bandits opened their eyes, expecting to see their leader dead, but no, instead, they saw the Queen's dagger in front of Maurice's knees and watched in confusion as the Queen took a pouch full of coins and threw it beside the dagger._

_"It's about ten sovereigns, it's enough for you and your, um...crew to find new equipment. Get some nice armor that doesn't provide the same amount of protection as paper and new swords or something because honestly, the wooden swords I played with as a child hurt a lot more than whatever it is you're using as weapons, I can't tell what it's even made of, seriously, it feels like you're attacking us with a bunch of rolled-up leaves or paper rolls I-"_

_"Sisara!" Alistair said, "You can't be serious...not only are we letting them go, we're giving them money?"_

_The dumb bandit rejoiced, "The Queen's lettin' us go! Oh, the legends were right! La Phénix Au Coeur D'Or!"_

_Leliana's ears perked up: these bandits were Orlesian. But what were they doing so far from Orlais?_

_As for Sisara, she turned to Alistair and gave him a look that he recognized so many times before. It was the look that told him to trust her when she did something that seemed outrageous. Whether it was to free an assassin sent to kill her or a Qunari prisoner...Although Alistair always protested every time, he can't deny that her intuition was more often than not correct. Additionally, she just happened to be the most stubborn woman in Thedas and that look was her 'I've made up my mind and you can try all you want but you won't change it' face._

_"Oh...fine!" Alistair gave in. Sisara smiled and gave him a quick peck as a thank you. Alistair looked at the bandits and their leader, "By order of the King of Ferelden, you are released. Leave now and pray that we never cross paths again. My wife may not be here to save you a second time."_

_The bandits all let a cry of relief and praised both Sisara and Alistair._

_"Your Majesty is too kind but...why?" Maurice asked before he left._

_"You were willing to risk your life for your men...a man like that is no common bandit." Sisara merely answered._

_Maurice stood bewildered at the woman before him. It was such a peculiar answer...so odd. It was a risky answer to go by, the woman hardly knew him. But there was something in the way she looked that told him that she could see further than anyone could. His eyes turned to the people that surrounded her: were they one of the lucky people she has saved? Were they lucky enough to be accepted into her life and go from someone who was pitiful and unworthy of a second glance to the heroes that they were today?_

_Maurice did not have time to answer. The King and Queen stared at him, awaiting his departure. He bowed his head respectfully, "Thank you, your Majesty...I will repay you one day."_

_A few moments later, the guards came back with game but came running after overhearing some ruckus. With a few scratches on the caravan and a few tents knocked out, they came to the conclusion they they were 'ambushed'. Lieutenant Saunder Ardwin apologized to the King and Queen over and over for being absent during the whole thing._

_"We are so sorry, your Majesty, we assumed that-"_

_"As I've said before, it's quite fine, really! You were out searching for our food, so we can forgive you." Alistair said good-naturedly._

_"B-But, your Majesty…you and the Queen could have been hurt!" Lieutenant Ardwin said._

_"Oh, and thank you for being concerned about us." Oghren muttered. Yes, officially, Oghren had become Alistair's most trusted lieutenant general and had been the first dwarf ever in history to do so. But on days when Oghren took a vacation, such as now, the duty fell on his second-in-command, Saunder Ardwin, who he often called Lieutenant on days like this._

_"Saunder, it's fine. Really." Sisara insisted, giving him a pat on the back._

_"A-Are you sure, your Majesty?" Saunder asked._

_"Yes! But now that you mention it, is there anything that can be done about this mess? The smell of the blood is...overpowering." she asked._

_"Right away, your Majesty." Saunder nodded._

_"Thank you." She smile as she sat on the log beside Alistair and resumed eating._

_Honestly, Saunder Ardwin was confused about Ferelden's newest King and Queen. He had served Queen Anora before and always felt like he was walking on eggshells. King Cailan, often being away, never really knew him. With King Alistair and Queen Sisara, their reputation truly did them justice: they were probably Ferelden's finest King and Queen for so many reasons. Because they fought for Ferelden with their own two hands. They were heroes. Because they genuinely loved each other and were not forced into marriage. And because their behavior could make you forget about their title. They acted like everyone's friend. They joked, they laughed, they bore them no ill will._

_Saunder was confused at first, but smiled, nonetheless. Ferelden was in very good hands now._

_"Sisara, are you eating those strawberries and the rabbit at the same time?" Leliana asked._

_Sisara shrugged, "Odd, isn't it? But I've been having a craving for it lately."_

_"Again? Yesterday, it was a craving for chocolate sauce-dipped nug. Before that, it was lamb stew with cookies crumbled in it." Alistair said._

_"Those cravings are rather odd…" Sten commented._

_"Ah, perhaps you are just nervous about being Queen?" Zevran suggested, but Sisara shook her head, "I've been Queen for over five months, now, Zevran, since Bloomingtide. I'm fine with it. To be honest, these craving only started a few days ago."_

_"You mean when you and Alistair disappeared from the Palace for a few hours?" Wynne asked._

_"'Disappeared'? What do you mean?" Leliana asked._

_"Well, after they were done helping the Alienage get back on their feet, Alistair and Sisara were supposed to head directly back to the castle. Instead, they have been missing for a few hours…" Wynne said suspiciously._

_"Yeah, about that…" Alistair began sheepishly._

_"We were, um…swimming." Sisara explained._

_"…'Swimming'?" Sten repeated. He saw them nod simultaneously and looked at Barkspawn, "Do you know what they are speaking of?"_

_Barkspawn barked as if to say no._

_"Oh, I believe I can answer that." Zevran smirked, "Just outside of the Royal Palace, there is a small but beautiful garden with a waterfall and wild roses everywhere. It is common folklore among the City Elves that Ferelden's very first Queen had grown every rose herself and they still lived until today. They say that the Queen, formerly a mage, had enchanted it so that only those of royal blood could enter the garden and so that it would change its location almost every day. They also say that the smell of the roses were enough to make you go…'crazy'."_

_"So its cravings are caused by insanity?" Shale asked._

_"Oh, no, my stone friend, not __**that **__sort of crazy." Zevran said. Alistair and Sisara were red as Sisasa's armor and everyone had slowly begun to realize exactly what those roses did._

_"…Oh." Everyone seemed to say at the same time._

_"So, frolicking in a legendary pool, hmm? Very kinky, even for you two, bravo!" Zevran congratulated._

_"Okay, this conversation is over!" Sisara claimed._

_"Are you kidding? I just learned that the King and Queen did the dance with no pants in public!" Oghren exclaimed._

_"It was not in public!" Alistair protested, "It was hidden!"_

_"AHA! So you did do it!" Oghren caught them, which only made Alistair flush even more._

_Alistair groaned and buried his face in his wife's neck, "Make them stop…" he begged._

_"Wait…you two had sex. And-"_

_"I think everyon's aware, Leliana!" Sisara interrupted her._

_"No, let me finish, you two had sex a few days ago and now Sisara is having weird cravings, her energy changes from energetic to completely exhausted in a second and she is sensitive to smell…" Leliana trailed off and suddenly, everyone had caught on._

_Sisara's mouth dropped and she turned to Alistair, whose mouth was also dropped. Oghren dropped his mug on the ground and barely flinched when its full content soaked the dirt beneath him. Shale and Sten raised their eyebrows curiously. Barkspawn's tail began wagging. Zevran's eyes widened._

_"Alistair, I think that the good Fade spirits have been listening to your dreams…" Wynne smiled._

_After reaching Highever, Sisara was immediately put to bed after Wynne examined her. And the next morning, it was confirmed. They had done the impossible. The two Grey Wardens had a child._

_"How can this happen?" Alistair asked, panicked and pacing back and forth._

_"…Don't you want it?" Sisara asked, hurt._

_"No, I mean, yes, of course I do, I've…I've never been this happy in my life." Alistair smiled. His eyes softened and all traces of panic were gone. Sisara smiled back, "Then what's the problem?"_

_"…Sisara, we're the first Grey Wardens to have ever conceived a child together. At least, that anyone knows of. Which means…"_

_"The child will have darkspawn blood." Sisara whispered._

"_Will the child be a…" Sisara gulped. She couldn't even express her disbelief that this was not the first time she asked this question. "Will the child be a darkspawn?"_

_"Honestly, child, there's no telling who or what this child will become." Wynne admitted, "There has never been a case of two Grey Wardens having a child together. Therefore, we don't have any information to go on."_

_"But there's so many questions that need answers! Will the child be normal, will it be weaker, will it be powerful, will it be dangerous, will it be good, will it be…evil?" Sisara panicked. And suddenly, Alistair understood her initial lack of excitement. They had no clue what they were up against._

_"If that is the case, then I'm afraid that upon birth, we would have to…" Wynne could barely bring herself to finish that sentence. She didn't need to, of course._

_Sisara covered her face with her hands and suddenly, she felt rage. Had she not suffered enough? Did she not give up so much already? What exactly did the Maker have against her that now he was practically telling her to give birth to a child that she might have to kill?_

_"No, we're not doing that." Alistair objected sternly._

_"Alistair, I know this is not want you want to hear, but-" "But nothing, Wynne! This is our child, if there's anything we can do to save it, we will do it!" Alistair interrupted her._

_"He's right." Sisara decided, "I saved a child once from a demon and I can do it again."_

_"But Sisara…for all we know, this child may actually __**be **__a demon." Wynne argued._

_"If that is the case, then we will stop it. But until we see that the child is evil, we will raise it and the baby will have a normal life." Alistair decided._

_Wynne looked at both Alistair and Sisara desperately. She knew it was difficult. She had her own son. She can't imagine what they were going through. And the more logical part of her told her that she should disagree with everything that they were saying. A part of her even told her that she should find a way to destroy that baby before it is even born._

_But the other part, the one that has known Sisara and Alistair at the beginning of their relationship, witnessed all of their pain and turmoil, the one that bore her own son and was forced to give him up, told her that she could not ask them to do such a thing._

_'It seems like you've gone soft, old girl...' Wynne mused to herself. Alistair and Sisara awaited her response. Regardless of her response, they were going to raise this child as they had planned. But they couldn't do it as well without Wynne's help. It was already a well-known truth for Wynne that if she has, indeed, gone soft, she could blame both Alistair and Sisara for that, greatly for the latter. Sisara intrigued her. She is sarcastic beyond belief and laughs in the face of death. And other times, she is even more serious than Wynne, Shale and Sten put together. She chose her moments and she chose them wisely._

_She loved toying with her enemies, a quality that Wynne once found irresponsible, but now found amusing. For instance, during one of their first adventures together, they had met a desire demon keeping a man in a prison of 'happiness'. Sisara had pretended to allow the demon to leave when last minute, she backstabbed it. A similar situation happened with the infamous Kitty demon._

_Now, __**that **__was a funny story._

_As they were on a little quest to find Shale, Sisara had saved a man named Matthias whose daughter, Amalia, was trapped and required saving. Among the people with Sisara were Alistair and Zevran (as usual, she never did went anywhere without those two) and Wynne. When they reached Amalia, they were shocked to discover that Amalia was in the company of a cat that has been possessed by a desire demon called Kitty._

_Kitty has charmed poor Amalia so she would be able to possess her and leave. But she could not leave even if she did possess Amalia for there was a barrier that could only be disengaged by solving the puzzle behind Kitty and Amalia, which consisted of tiles and fire. Kitty offered to 'save' Amalia by possessing her and telling Sisara to help her by solving the puzzle._

_For a moment, Wynne was very scared. Sisara had agreed to figure out the puzzle that had kept Kitty inside and for Kitty to possess the girl. Usually, when Sisara did this, she backstabbed them a second later, but no, Sisara was actually trying to solve the puzzle. And since she was clever, too clever for her own good as Wynne would say, she solved the puzzle in ten minutes. The barrier was lifted but before Kitty could possess little Amalia, Sisara pushed Amalia threw the door and fought Kitty, giving Amalia the chance to escape._

_She was clever. Afterwards, Sisara explained to Wynne why she didn't immediately refuse and attack Kitty. It wasn't only because she enjoyed toying with her enemies (although she did admit that she enjoyed that part) but she was confident that had she attacked Kitty immediately, Kitty would have just as easily possessed Amalia and they would have been forced to kill Amalia to kill Kitty._

_Wynne was always impressed with Sisara. Sisara could easily be underestimated at first glance. With her smaller-than-average stature and her soft features, you could never guess that the woman could cut you up into the tiny little pieces that Mabari dogs enjoy so much or that she was so cunning that she could catch a flaw in your lie should you attempt to do so to her or that she was so persuasive that she could probably get you to give her your entire dowry and she could still convince you that it belonged to her all this time._

_She smiled softly, even though inside she was frightened, "I guess I'll have to get used to being called Nana soon…"_

Years have passed. And to this day, Sisara, Alistair, Wynne, Oghren and Barkspawn saw each other on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Sten, Shale, Zevran and Leliana. She had successfully convinced Zevran to stay after the Blight, but Zevran had mysteriously disappeared a few months after Sisara's birthday, before her daughter's birth. This hurt her more than anything because while Leliana, Sten and Shale informed her that they would leave for personal reasons but eventually come back, Zevran left without so much as a goodbye.

Sisara suspected foul play at first and went frantic looking for Zevran. Eventually, Leliana, Sten and Shale joined the club of 'People Sisara Was Currently Looking For'. They had all seemed to disappear even when they all promised they would at least write. But to this very day, Sisara is still looking for them. She searched Antiva, Orlais, Honnleath and even Seheron. No luck.

Alistair is less optimistic and is convinced that the worst has happened. But when Alistair suggested this, Sisara gave him a glare that could kill and the infamous look that told him that she wasn't giving up. When he asked her, she simply answered that she just _knew _that they were alive. The same way she knew that her brother was still alive. These were not the naïve hopes of a young girl but the intuitions of a woman.

Although people have come and gone in their lives, Alistair and Sisara were very grateful for one little miracle.

That little miracle that seemed to have inherited their habits of going against the odds. They were both scared and excited for the birth. They didn't know what to expect. There has never been a birth under these circumstances. And when the baby was not born on its due date, it was the time to panic.

Wynne did all she could, but there was something about the baby that seemed to block all sorts of magic. If there was ever a time for them to worry, it was now. A month has passed since the baby's due date and it was still inside Sisara. They knew that the baby was alive for it kept on kicking.

Every knowledge that Wynne had told Sisara that at this point, delivery would be very difficult...for both her and the baby. The placenta starts to shut down and the fetus would die.

It was the most difficult time in Alistair and Sisara's life...Wynne came to Sisara one night and informed her that they could try a method that required cutting the mother's belly and taking the fetus out. At this point, the fetus would be dead but at least the mother would live.

The reason it was so miraculous was that the exact second Wynne proposed this to Sisara, her water broke.

Approximately 23 hours later, Sisara gave birth to a baby girl. Wynne was shocked. In a second, everything she ever knew about birth and babies were proven wrong by that little girl. For not only was that little girl alive, she was healthy, normal and...well, no traces of evil could be found in her. And yet, the darkspawn taint was in her blood. It just wasn't normal and Wynne was confused to the whole thing.

But nevertheless, Eveline Theirin was born on the thirty-first day of August, on All Soul's Day. Eveline was a combination of Sisara's favorite heroine growing up, Aveline, and Alistair's mother, Evanna. Although they nicknamed her Evie, and it would be rare for anyone to hear the name 'Eveline' unless it was to introduce her title. As a baby, she had her father's slightly tanned skin and deep, oceanic blue eyes. The combination of Sisara's ebony locks and Alistair's reddish blonde hair gave her a unique color, a sort of reddish brown hair. She had her mother's crooked smile and almost round face. Her nose reminded everyone of Alistair's. If anyone had made any rumors of Sisara's baby not being Alistair's, they would soon be disproved just by looking at Evie, who was simply the perfect combination of her parents.

Once again, Wynne's mind and heart were at war. The fact that Evie took ten months to be born and when she should have died, she survived under unusual circumstances, that she was born on that dayin her mother's stomach, that somehow a sort of 'magic' shield had formed itself around her when she was still ...Not to mention the fact that she had the taint in her blood. Every signal pointed to Evie being someone that they needed to watch out for and yet...

As she cleaned the little babe, she couldn't help but notice how much the baby smiled and laughed. Wynne was astonished: most babies do not laugh or smile until much later. In fact, most babies only cry and sleep when they are just born. But she didn't. She looked at Wynne with those large eyes and Wynne couldn't help but noticed that although they were Alistair's color, the shape was very much Sisara's. The baby grabbed Wynne finger and played with it for a second and she couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, you're going to be trouble when you grow up, young lady, I can tell..." Wynne cooed as she wrapped Baby Evie in a blanket, "And with your father's glib and your mother's sarcasm, Maker only knows what kind of girl you will turn out to be."

She handed her to Sisara. Sisara looked at the little bundle of joy she held in her arms. She had spent so much time holding things in her hands...weapons, poison, _death..._all things were not very pleasing to hold. And yet, with her baby, _her Evie, _there in her arms...Conceived out of love and born in a world so dangerous. Would this world ever be truly worthy of her? Sisara stared at her breathlessly. Months ago, she was frightened with the idea of having a baby. And now, she was just so...

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Alistair said. Sisara nodded, unable to speak. Sisara looked at him and handed Evie to him, "Hold her."

"Are you sure? I...I might break her." Alistair said softly.

Sisara grinned, "She won't break. She is the daughter of the King and Queen of Ferelden, it's going to take a lot more than her father holding her to break her."

Alistair grinned back as he took her in his arms. Maker, her eyes were beautiful. Although he mainly saw his dark blue eyes staring back, he could have sworn that he saw flecks of Sisara's green eyes around her iris.

_'Her father...' _Sisara's words rang in his head. He had never thought, in his wildest dreams, that someone he loved would be handing him his daughter. _His _daughter...The one that was in his arms, looking at him with her big eyes, smiling...

"She's...smiling." Alistair noted in amazement, "Babies don't smile right after they're born."

"Well, ours does...And I intend on giving her a reason to smile for the rest of her life." Sisara promised.

The next five years of Sisara Theirin's life would prove to be her happiest. Under their reign, Ferelden grew and became the strongest kingdom in all of Thedas. Evie grew every day and every day, she grew even more beautiful, even smarter and even stronger. Who could ask for more? And of course, no one could forget that Alistair and Sisara stood by each other's side. Even after six years of marriage, their love was still as strong as the day they met.

Everything seemed to be, well...perfect.

But all good things come to an end. A lesson that Sisara once thought she had already learned, but as it turns out, she hasn't even begun to understood half of that lesson.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so there you go, the chapter was a little bit of a very long prologue depicting the important events in Sisara Cousland/Theirin's life. Of course, there will be more flashback of her life as the story moves forward, but as of the next chapter, we will be advancing on the plotline and we will see Eveline Theirin for the very first time. And...the characters introduced and/or mentioned are likely to make an appearance later on. It is no coincidence that I mentioned them, after all.**

**Although, here's a little riddle for you guys:**

**In this chapter, two scenes were based on two famous movies and one line was based on a famous line from a game. Can you guess which ones?**

**Hint: One of them includes a superhero.**


	2. Princess Eveline Rose Theirin

_**Chapter 1: Her Royal Highness Princess Eveline Rose Theirin**_

The Royal Palace's garden was one of the most exquisite and beautiful places in all of Thedas. Carefully arranged flowers and apple trees surrounded the area and the scent of roses, apples and fresh wood hung in the air all year round, even during the harsher, colder seasons, the scent remained. There was a single stone bench, shaded by a large red serviceberry tree, that was perfectly positioned to watch the sunrise or sunset. At least, that is what most people believe when they see the infamous stone bench.

What is uncommon knowledge is that nowadays, the large serviceberry tree that hung over the bench like a cloud became the ideal hiding spot for the Princess of Ferelden.

Yes, if one were to look closer, they could see little Evie Theirin's beige tunic, dark green trousers and brown boots hidden behind the large, thick, concealing leaves of the tree. If they looked closer, they would see how the red petals from the tree seemed to have woven themselves in Evie's reddish brown hair, which now developed her mother's soft curls, reaching just a bit past her shoulders. She kept them in two pigtailed braids and let her bangs fall beneath her eyes. Her blue eyes shone with determination as her tiny hands clung to the tree even tighter every time she heard a noise, thinking it was Areida looking for her. Yes, Evie was only five, nearly six years old in a month, but she happened to be very adventurous for her age, which may explain her ease with climbing very tall trees, and her lack of fear from falling, for that matter.

She climbed high enough to ensure that no one could find her. In fact, there were only two people in the entire world that could find her. Of course, Barkspawn could find her, which is why she ordered him to stay in the castle. She loved Barkspawn but she was worried that his presence would give away her hiding spot.

"Evie…Oh, Evie!" a voice called out.

And one of those two people was approaching now. Evie sighed in relief, knowing it wasn't Areida, but giggled all the same. She still hid, wondering if her father could find her.

"Hmm…I wonder where she is. Could she be hiding under the thorny rose bush? No…what about under the stone bench?" Alistair played. He knew that Evie was up on that tree again. She always was. But had he not known that she was always there, he would have been fooled, if not for his daughter's momentary giggle.

"Found you!" Alistair exclaimed, pointing at his daughter so high up on the tree, which only made Evie giggle even more, "You're getting better at this sneakiness. If I didn't know any better, I would think that your Mother had been giving you lessons."

"She might be…" Evie said in a singsongy voice. Alistair chuckled and rolled his eyes. _Of course _Sisara would immediately teach Evie every single thing she knew. Well, save for a few tricks that she might have learned from a certain bard or assassin…those tricks would be best saved for later.

"Alright, young lady, come down." Alistair said. Evie rolled her eyes and smiled the same way her father did only seconds ago, but she obeyed nonetheless. Alistair watched as she climbed down with ease and remembered that the first few times she would climb this tree, he would fear for her safety. She was moving her arms and legs around without even looking and she was so high up. But after watching her do it a thousand times, and that is only counting the times he's seen her do it, he knew that Evie knew that tree like the back of her hand anyway.

When Evie's foot touched the ground again, she jokingly put her hand on her forehead and saluted her father, "Reporting for duty, sir."

"Ha ha, very cute." Alistair laughed, "So, do you want to tell me who or what you were hiding from this time?"

Evie tried looking offended, "I wasn't hiding! Honest, I went up there to see the pretty flowers, that's all…"

Alistair laughed boisterously. Evie was still young, but it seems as if her Mother's natural talent for manipulation and persuasion were starting to kick in lately. It might have worked, too, had Alistair not worked with the master herself. "Evie, please. I know my own daughter. And I know you never hide from anything you can't handle. And I know whenever you go on this tree, you're hiding from someone. Now, come on…Is it Areida again?" he asked.

Evie bowed her head and played with the hem of her tunic, "Yes…I'm hiding because the Raven told me that Areida was preparing the blue dress for tonight."

"Ah…" Alistair understood and tried not to mention her little imaginary Raven friend, "So, it's not really Areida, is it? It's about tonight."

Evie nodded, "I don't want to be around those kids…"

Her confession upset Alistair. Evie didn't like to admit when she was scared. She was like her mother, in that way. She would rather hide up in her tree than admit that she didn't want to be bullied by the nobles' kids. For all that bravery in the little girl, the truth was she really was still a little girl. And the truth was she was sensitive.

"They make me feel…bad about myself. They say I don't deserve to be Princess. They say that Princesses shouldn't be covered in mud. They say that Princesses should be perfect. They make me feel bad for the things I want to be….Daddy, do you or Mommy think I should change?" Evie asked.

"What? No, no, no…" Alistair bent down to her level and pushed a strand of loose hair out of her face. He was amused, seeing traces of mud on her face and little petals on the top of her head. "Remember this, Eveline Rose Theirin, you are beautiful just the way you are. The reason those kids pick on you simply because you were born with Theirin blood. I know it's not fair, and I'm sorry for that, but remember that everytime they pick on you, it's only because they're jealous that the moment you were born, you became more important to the world than all of them combined."

"I don't feel important." Evie admitted.

"Oh, but you are…And not just to Ferelden. To me, to your mother, to Nana Wynne, to _Uncle Ogre…_" Alistair laughed at that last one. When Evie was younger and still learning how to talk, she had the most difficult time pronouncing Oghren's name. Finally, she settled with Uncle Ogre, much to his dismay. But Oghren eventually got used to the nickname, even being a little proud, because he believed that she nicknamed him Ogre because his strength reminded him of an ogre. Although the truth was, she named him that because she couldn't pronounce his name and she never saw an ogre, so she based the descriptions on Oghren. "None of us would have you change a single thing about yourself. Are you perfect? No, but no one is, my little Princess. Not me, not even your mother, though I do admit that she is awfully close." he said with a little lovesick grin.

"I think you and Mommy are perfect." Evie smiled.

That warmed Alistair's heart, "Well, that's only because you're our daughter. We've made mistakes. And so will you but that's okay. Each mistake is a lesson, it helps us grow. And remember…being perfect isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Do you want to know a secret?"

Evie nodded excitedly. "When your mother or I get upset when things go wrong, when nothing seems to be perfect, we always remind each other that if things had been perfect, we might not have ever met each other. It's something we've known since we met and something we still believe in today. But if you want the truth, being perfect isn't that hard for someone as wonderful as you. Just be yourself and while you may not reach complete perfection, you will be very close." Alistair told her.

Evie was always in awe of her father's advice. Mother always said he was a lot wiser than people give him credit for and Evie was glad that she knew how wise he truly was. To others, they were simple, hollow words. To her, they were words that could lift her spirits and turn her frown upside down.

"But…The kids think I'm odd." Evie said.

Alistair laughed as he carried Evie in his arms and tickled her stomach, "Well, then, that's a compliment! It means that they know that you're your parents' daughter! Now, come on, you little Oddball. I think you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Evie giggled at the new nickname, "Nope! But I did go to the kitchen for that Dalish Cheese Buns that Cook Franny made, but it looks like Uncle Ogre ate them all. He was asleep on the ground and smelled really bad! I tried to poke him with a stick, but he wouldn't move."

"Oh…Wait, does this mean he ate all the cheese buns?!" Alistair exclaimed in horror, then a little grin spread on his face, "Well, now. I think he should pay for doing that, don't you?"

Evie grinned back, "Well, I did have an idea that I was going to do before. Those salted caramel cookies Mommy loves so much are almost finished. Do you think she'll be angry if she finds crumbs of her last cookies on Uncle Ogre's beard?"

Alistair gasped, pretending to be appalled, "Eveline Rose Theirin, if you're suggesting that we frame Uncle Ogre for eating Mommy's cookies, we would never do that! Oh, no, if he ate those cookies, it was all on him."

Evie and Alistair shared a grin before running into the kitchen to find Oghren. Alistair couldn't help but admire his daughter's mischievous plan and was easily reminded of his wife's pranks on everyone at camp whenever they would tease them for their relationship. Honestly, no one has ever had a true bonding experience with his daughter unless he helps her with her wicked plans. Or perhaps it was just that his two girls had him hopelessly wrapped around their little fingers. Either way, Alistair Theirin was fine with both.

* * *

_She stood in a place she did not recognize. Everything dark and hollow and frightening. She saw smoke everywhere she looked. Was it smoke? Or fog? Or a mist? Either way, she it was the only thing she could see and beyond that, an endless, dark blue void filled the world. She would attempt to walk, but where? Everything appeared to be to similar not to get lost in. Oddly enough, she did not feel frightened. Nor did she feel nervous or worried. Curious was the best word to describe it. And frankly, Sisara had far too many adventures not to know that this was no ordinary dream._

_A sudden shift in the wind and Sisara became conscious of just how cold it actually was in this place. She shivered and brought her arms around her shoulders. Little help it did. Wherever she was...she wasn't in the Fade, no. This was something else entirely. But she couldn't describe it. The closest description she could possibly give was that it seemed like she was somewhere that someone had spontaneously created. A world that existed for the sole purpose of her being here. But for what?_

_"Your Majesty?" a voice called. Sisara turned around to see a little boy, no more than seven years old. His face was hidden by the smoke, awfully convenient, Sisara must add._

_"Little boy? Who are you? Where are we? Where's your parents?" Sisara asked._

_"My name is...it does not matter. Where we are is a place that I shouldn't be. I apologize the accommodations are less than elegant but I needed to talk to your Majesty, if your Majesty allows me. I swear it won't take long." the little boy said and Sisara was honestly in shock. The way the boy spoke, so eloquently and poised, the voice reminded her of someone, but who reminds vague. The voice would indicate two things: either this boy was wise beyond his years or this was no boy, but someone or something else taking the form of the boy._

_"You didn't answer my last question." Sisara observed. She would have also asked him to stop calling her your Majesty. Honestly, six years of hearing that title and Sisara still couldn't get used to it. But she had the feeling that the boy, if it was, in fact, a boy, was raised to respect his elders and call them by their proper titles, even when said elders despised it._

_"And I'd rather not, your Majesty. We have little time left and I have to tell you something about your daughter." the boy admitted._

_Sisara's eyes widened, "Evie? What about her?"_

_The boy was rather blunt in his answer, but there was a hint of concern in his voice, "Your daughter's in danger."_

_Sisara bent down to the boy's level, in an attempt to see his face, but she couldn't. The smoke still hung around his head as if it were a helmet, purposefully protecting his identity. Sisara would have questioned it if she wasn't suddenly so concerned about her daughter, "What do you know?" she asked._

_"You and I both know that Evie was not born normal. She never was. Had the circumstances been different, she might have gone her whole thinking she was normal. Well, as normal as a Princess can be. But there is a change in tides, Queen Sisara, and your daughter's abilities will be forced to shine. Now, her abilities aren't the things we should fear for. But rather, the ones who will react to her abilities. Some will think that she is too dangerous. The other will be frightened of her. Either way, both will try to kill her." the boy said._

_Sisara looked at him in disbelief. This all made her want to snap out of this dream and go to her daughter and protect her. "What do you mean? Who will try to kill her? Why? What abilities will she have?"_

_"I'm afraid I can't answer that, your Majesty. The visions are not always clear in my head. I can only see little moments of things. All I know is her abilities will arise soon and she will be a target." the boy answered._

_Every single word that the boy said seemed to repeat itself in Sisara's head and then she brought up something she had meant to before, "You said 'we.'"_

_"Pardon?" the boy said._

_"You said that her abilities aren't the things 'we' should fear for. Who is we? You and me?" she asked. The boy's posture confirmed it. Somehow, he was involved in her daughter's life. But who was the question. "…Who are you? Are you even the little boy you appear to be?"_

_"I am." the boy confirmed, "It is not important how I know your daughter. What is important is that I want to help both you and her by telling you what I saw. And I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to consider my warning and take caution."_

_Sisara bit her lip, something didn't feel right but what? "Why would a seven-year-old have visions? Who are you? What are you? And why do you sound so familiar?"_

_The boy shook his head, "Oh, no, you are as clever as she said. I thought that in dreams, well, this sort of dream, your mind would be a little less…sharp that it is in real life. It seems that even your dreamy mind is still too perceptive. As long as you're in here, you're starting to figure out. I'm afraid I'll have to erase this last part of our conversation. Know this, your Majesty, I do care about you, your daughter and King Alistair so please heed my warning."_

Sisara woke up and felt cold swear prickling down her forehead. She looked beside her and Alistair was nowhere to be found, but at the same time, the sun was up so she assumed that she overslept again. She stood up and Alistair's old, worn out tunic that was too small for him, which she now used as her night clothes, seemed to provide little warmth compared to her body temperature. The book she was reading before bed, _The Game of Hunger, _was on her lap but fell on the ground because of how sudden she stood up.

It was amazing and disturbing at the same time. The dream...She was just as cold as she was in there, despite being in an unusually warm room. It was as if the dream wasn't actually a dream but she was truly there. She shivered once again, attempting to remember the details of the dream.

Someone...Someone who Sisara couldn't see...He-or was it she?-told her that there would be a change in tides and that Evie was in trouble.

_'Evie's in trouble?' _Sisara thought, then tried her best to fully recall the dream, but it seemed impossible for her. The only thing she had to go on was that Evie was in trouble. But why was she getting worked up over a dream? No, this was no ordinary dream...

"Sisa? You awake?" Alistair teased as he opened the door, carrying a tray with porridge on it and snowberry juice. Sisara was never a morning person, always groggy and grouchy when she woke up. Alistair found that the best way to survive a morning Sisara was to be completely sweet with her. Well, it worked on him. The others never did have much luck.

When Alistair saw her, she looked at him with wide eyes and he was immediately worried. He put the tray on the nightstand beside their bed and knelt down in front of Sisara. He cupped his face and nearly jumped at how cold she was.

"Sisara, why are you so cold?" he gasped and he grabbed the blankets behind her and pulled them over her shoulder, covering her.

"I...don't know. I had a weird dream." Sisara said. Alistair looked confused but it wasn't as if Sisara wasn't confused herself.

"What are you talking about?" he asked gently.

"Well, I remember being somewhere I've never been before. It wasn't the Fade, but it didn't feel sinister. Well, I was freezing my arse off but that's another thing. Someone warned me about Evie being in danger..."

"Evie?" Alistair repeated, "Are you sure you're not just worried about tonight?"

"I'm positive, Alistair." she said, "The dream felt like...something else. Or maybe it was just a dream and I'm being paranoid but in any case, I think we should keep a close eye on Eve tonight, just to at least calm my nerves."

Alistair nodded understandingly. He didn't know what that dream of hers meant and he wasn't the type to dwell much on dreams and what they meant. Wynne once said that dreams represented your deepest, darkest fears, desires, subconscious thoughts that we push away because we don't want to even think of the possibility and many more. If so, the mind must be very cruel to make us see what we don't want to sometimes.

"You know, speaking of dreams, I did have a rather odd one. About Evie, too. But it wasn't as ominous as yours. It was Leliana and for some reason she was on a ship and teaching Evie how to use a sword." Alistair laughed at the randomness and absurdity of it. But his laugh ceased when he saw a sad smile across Sisara's face at the mention of Leliana. Maker, how they missed them so much, but Alistair felt that Sisara missed them a lot more. No matter how different they were, Sisara still got close to all of them and although she was happy that Alistair, Wynne, Oghren and Barkspawn were still with her, there were times when she wondered how different life would be had they stayed.

"I really wish they could see her." Sisara admitted. "Leliana would have doted on her constantly."

"I bet that she would drive Shale insane." Alistair continued their little dream. He was never fond of the golem, but Sisara quickly liked her as they shared the same humor. As a result, Alistair was both terrified of her and in awe of her. Despite what Shale said out loud, Sisara knew that she wanted to be a human again. She even offered to help Shale if need be. Shale appreciated the offer but said that it was pointless to offer help for something that Shale would never ask.

"She would have had Zevran wrapped around her little finger." Sisara remembered her fellow rogue fondly. She and Zevran had gotten quite close, much to Alistair's dismay. A few days after the Landsmeet, they did get into a big fight. Zevran was acting strangely for a while and she never figured out why. She asked him why was he being such a pain all of a sudden and he never answered her. During the final battle, he acted as if it never happened, which confused Sisara, but she had more important things to worry about. Like the lives of all of Ferelden. Afterwards, he agreed to stay. Sisara wanted to talk about their fight but never seemed to have the opportunity. And she was scared to bring it up. She thought that perhaps Zevran has sorted his problems out and to bring them up now would have only brought them back. She hasn't seen him for years.

"Don't forget Sten. I bet that Evie would have gotten him to smile for the first time." Alistair mentioned. Sten had probably been the toughest nut to crack and even then, Sisara didn't think she completely cracked him, to be honest. But he respected her. It was evident the moment he called her 'Kadan'. It's funny because they have had so many quarrels and fights together. Sten was once covered from head to toe with slashes and an arrow to the knee (which he claimed probably took all of his capabilities away) and Sisara was once knocked out unconscious for two days because of him. Eventually, Wynne believed that they took their games too far. After the whole Urn debacle, Sten came up to Sisara and challenged her even more. Alistair wanted to yell at him for making Sisara feel worse until he realized what Sten was truly doing: he was providing Sisara the release she needed for her anger. Sisara needed someone to punch and hurt and Sten was glad to be the end of her punches. A few weeks later, the moment Sisara got him his sword back despite their differences, he had called her 'Kadan'.

"Now _that _would have been impressive!" Sisara laughed, but then remembered that their words were just that. Words. She held them to her heart so dearly and there was a good chance that she wouldn't see any of them ever again. Within a year after they had won their final battle, they all seemed to have disappeared.

Alistair seemed to have read her thoughts. He took her hands and sat on the bed, looking up to her. "They will meet her someday, you know."

Sisara smiled with great effort and pushed him back on the bed before climbing on top of him and giving him a kiss, "When did you become so optimistic?"

"Well, there's something about having the perfect wife, the perfect child and the perfect life that tends to make a fellow hopeful that he'll see some of his old friends again."

"Yeah, I am an awesome wife." Sisara agreed, "And you're not so bad yourself."

Alistair gasped and feigned offense, he flipped her over and change his position and now she was lying under him, "Well, that hurt my manly feelings!"

"Feel_ing_, singular." Sisara corrected, "And I can think of a few ways that I can apologize."

Alistair merely grinned bent his head, kissing his wife. She nearly forgot how cold she was, but when her ice-cold lips made contact with his warm ones, it was moments like this when she forgot who she was. She wasn't the Queen or a Hero or the Warden Commander. She was just Sisara and he was just Alistair, together. He allowed them to have moments like this. Sure, after some time, Sisara and Alistair began sharing a tent and he admits that he stayed up a bit later than he had intended just enjoying moments when she was in his arms, for he knew that come the next day, she may not be there anymore.

But now, the Blight was over. They were in no real danger anymore. The dangers that Sisara faced as Warden Commander were nothing compared to the dangers they have already faced. They were safe. They were happy. They were together.

When they were finished, he stared at her as she began to sleep. He smiled and gently kissed her before holding her tightly and falling himself to sleep. A part of him didn't want to, for this moment right here, right now, seemed to be far better than any dream.

He could honestly say that the time after the Blight had been the happiest moments of his life. Their daughter was growing up to be beautiful, sharp and spirited. She was everything he could have wanted in a daughter, just as Sisara was everything he could have wanted in a wife. Lately, every night before he went to sleep, he simply took a moment or two to say a silent prayer to the Maker. He was not as religious when he was younger, but if time with Leliana has taught him anything, it was to thank the Maker, even for the little things, whenever you could.

He thanked him for making him so happy, for giving him so many reasons to live and for giving him Sisara, Evie, his friends and everyone who ever cared for him. Additionally, he would pray that this happiness last forever.

But then again, he should have remembered that there was always calm before the storm.

Sisara began to get up, but Alistair moaned and held her closer, "No, stay..." he said childishly, but it was endearing to Sisara.

"Well, as much as I want to, there are certain expectations that need to be met as Queen and one of them is to not lay around in bed all day." Sisara smirked as she began to get up, "So, is there anything in particular that I should attend to this morning?"

"...Well, now that you mentioned it. I did see your favorite cookies missing. And I did see Oghren with cookie crumbs on his beard."

It still amazes Alistair how quick Sisara could be. For instance, the second he turned around, Sisara was nowhere to be found and the door swung behind her.

"...Sisa?" Alistair called out.

_"OGHREN YOU DRUNKEN LOAF, DID YOU EAT MY COOKIES?! HEY, DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME! OGHREN! GET BACK HERE!"_

Alistair chuckled. As if on cue, he looked outside to see Sisara, still in her night clothes, chasing Oghren around the garden with the Rose's Thorn. There were five guards patrolling the courtyard. Three of them were obviously new for they were utterly confused while the other two, obviously have been around for at least a week, shrugged and calmly explained to the other three that 'they would get used to it'.

"Go get him, love." Alistair smiled as he stared at her.

Oh, Sisara, once upon a time, she had sent him through a whirlwind of emotions. It was impossible not to get along with her so well. It was a relief to see someone who liked to laugh every once in a while and she was a welcomed change. He truly thought he knew her. But when he found out that in fact, she was suffering throughout all those times she smiled or laugh, he felt like he was back to square one, trying to figure her out once more. The sarcastic and charming girl suddenly became the fierce woman with a thousand secrets, and every single one, Alistair tried to discover.

The few weeks after quest for the ashes were one of the most frightening moments of Alistair's life. It was a long way back to Redcliffe and their had been some drastic changes. The woman who was once so fiery and lively became cold and distant. No more attempts at getting her companions to talk and somehow charming her way into their lives. No more random yet thoughtful presents she gave that had each had its own significance based on whatever her companions have told her. No more sarcasm or wit. She was silent, only leaving her tent to eat and travel. Her temper was gone but the once amusing quick temper became a deadly, cold stare that would result in sudden death. And a run-in with the bandits showed them that her fighting style had changed. No longer did she seem to know what she was doing.

Her fighting skills were always something to admire for Alistair. With her daggers, she was quick, nimble and precise. He could have sworn she anticipated each move her enemy would make and counter it. With her bow, she never needed to focus. It was as if the arrow went wherever she wanted it to. Together, they were a great duo. They always stood back-to-back, whether it was intentional or not, it became a habit. Every move they had seemed to become a choreographed dance and they became even more clever each and every time. She would take care of the long-ranged fighters with her bow and Alistair would have her back, getting rid of anyone who got close and if they got too close for comfort, Sisara would use her paralyzing powder. Alistair would use his shield to give her a boost and she would literally use it to jump high in the air and the poor, unsuspecting foe would barely have time to react before he saw the woman through the sun with daggers in the air getting ready to be planted in his chest. A holy smite that would result in the enemy falling into a trap that Sisara would set only seconds before.

But when they had that run-in with those bandits, her fighting was not the same. She was no longer close to Alistair, which he admits panicked him at first and when he saw her, he knew.

He didn't have plenty of time to see it, but the split second was enough. She wasn't fighting to win anymore. She was fighting to _kill_. All the anger she promised to release was being put into every stab, every kick, every punch. And it was reckless. And dangerous. And stupid. By the end of the fight, she had three broken bones, bruises in nearly every part of her body and scars on her face. She could have been killed.

And Alistair feared that a part of her knew that. And he was so scared...not of her, but for her. Thank goodness Sten egged her on and she took her anger out on him.

It wasn't easy. Time heals all wounds, yes, but some wounds seem too painful. But the truth is those wounds just take a little longer than most. They might scar and there might be constant reminders that they were once there, but eventually, the pain goes away, and when you look at those scars and smile because they were proof that you have survived despite them, well, that's when you know that it is healed.

The moment he saw her tears, Alistair promised himself that he would do everything he could to make sure that she would not suffer again.

And look at her now. Now, thankfully, the only real reason Sisara had to be angry was about stolen cookies.

The woman outside was completely insane. And Maker help him, he was hopelessly in love with her.

* * *

Evie was up in her room, taking a peaceful nap when the sound of a raven scratching against her window woke her up gently. She opened her eyes and smiled at the Raven. Just outside of Evie's room was a large tree with tiny branch that seemed to pass by Evie's window. On that tiny branch, she would often see the Raven perched and calling her. She smiled and shot out of her bed and opened her window. She always found it amusing how the Raven's dark color always contrasted with the sunlight outside.

"Hello, your Highness." the Raven greeted. Evie smiled, "I told you not to call me that, Raven."

The Raven tilted its head, "And I told you not to call me Raven."

Evie shook her head, "Well, that's not fair because I don't know your name! You know mine."

To others, The Raven did a squeaking sound that most ravens did. To Evie, the Raven chuckled, "I know, Eves, I was only teasing."

Beside Evie, Barkspawn quickly ran up the window and barked happily to the Raven. The Raven seemed to be smiling despite its beak, "Hello to you, too, Barkspawn."

Barkspawn barked in response and Evie giggled and patted his head, "It's okay, Barkspawn. I'll be fine. You can go and meet me later."

Barkspawn nodded and left her room and Evie turned to the Raven, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I saw that little stunt you pulled, Evie. Really? Framing a dwarf?" the Raven said, half-amused.

"He deserves it! He ate my cheese buns!" Evie protested. The Raven opened its beak and instead of lecturing Evie, it laughed boisterously.

"You know, Mother always did tell me that men are always willing to believe two things: that a woman is weak and that she finds him attractive. Personally, the only women that I know very well are you and Mother and I don't understand that. Both of you are far from weak and you both scare me to death." the Raven laughed.

Evie laughed as well, "You have a Mommy?"

"Of course I do. Did you assume that I hatched from an egg in the Wilds?" the Raven asked, emphasizing the absurdity in it.

"Well, I know you're not a real raven. Ravens don't talk." Evie admitted.

The Raven had to admit, he was both shocked and impressed. He had always thought that Evie still lived in the innocent world of a little girl where animals could talk and dance and sing. Well, technically, the Raven could do all of those things, but he's not really an animal, now is he? And he wasn't exactly the sort to sing and dance anyway.

"As clever as your mother, I see." the Raven snorted.

Evie's eyes widened in surprise, "You know my mother?"

"Indeed." the Raven confirmed, "And she's just as strong, smart and beautiful as her daughter."

Evie sulked on the window's ledge, staring at the Raven sadly, "Everybody keeps telling me that. If it's true, how come I don't see it?"

The Raven perched on Evie's head, bending its head to her eyes and its beak touched her forehead as if it were giving her a kiss, "Because you have the same tendency to underestimate yourself. The same quality could be found in King Alistair."

Evie stood up straight once again and the Raven flew to the branch before her, "You know my father? Well, that's not fair! I know nothing about you. I don't know your name or your mother or your father. I don't even know why you're my friend…"

"Oh, come now, who wouldn't want to be friends with you? Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life." the Raven said.

"But you're changing the subject. When are you going to tell me who you are? If you do, I bet I could get Mommy to fetch you and we could learn how to fight together and play together and be best friends!" Evie exclaimed excitedly.

The Raven smiled at her sadly. It was odd to see such an expression in a raven, but there it was. "It's not that simple, Eves."

The excited gleam in Evie's eyes disappeared once more and the Raven felt even more awful, "I wish you were with me at the ball instead of those mean kids." she admitted.

"They're only mean because they're jealous of you." the Raven insisted.

They were once again the same words her father told her and Evie had the same reaction, "I don't think so. I think they just don't like me because I'm different. Not special. Different."

"You _are _different, Eveline. In a good way. A very good way. And they can sense it. As dumb as people can be, they can be very intuitive. They can all sense the power in you. It is stronger than any power they could ever hope to have, but they don't know it yet. They don't know the things you are capable of, all they know is they sense something in you that is strong and since they do not know what it is, they fear you. People are always frightened of things they do not understand. But since you are a child, they do not show their fear. They pretend that they are disgusted by you so that you will feel bad about yourself. And it is working, Eveline, and it's such a shame, too. You are too wonderful of a person to fall for their tricks, please do not think so much about what others think. Remember, the truth is they are afraid of you. You just have to defend yourself enough to remind them why." the Raven said.

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" Evie exclaimed in horror.

The Raven laughed, "I'm not saying that you should go on a killing spree, Eves. I'm saying that if someone says that you are worthless, you remind them who you are: You are Her Royal Highness Eveline Rose Theirin, the Princess of Ferelden and the Daughter of the Heroes of Ferelden. You will not be affected by the words of those who are beneath you in rank, in strength, in intelligence and most importantly, in heart and soul. I promise you that they will stop."

Evie paused for a moment, taking in the Raven's words. She blinked twice and played with her fingers, "Raven...if you promise not to tell, can I tell you a secret?"

The Raven nodded, "Anything, Eves, you know that."

Evie leaned in and whispered, "I'm not just scared about the other kids tonight. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen..."

The Raven suddenly looked serious, "What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it, but...this year, I feel even more scared than the other years I've celebrated my birthday. And there's a feeling that's so strong, it hurts. I think...someone might try to hurt me."

The Raven shook its head, "Evie, you know no one will let that happen."

"No, I feel like something big is going to happen tonight and it's just the beginning..." Evie was beginning to scare the Raven now, only because the Raven also had a suspicion that something 'big' was indeed going to take place during her celebration. At first, the Raven believed he was being paranoid but now that Evie revealed that she, too, felt like something wrong was going to happen, he was frightened. He was about to say something, but a loud, boisterous voice called out from the hallways.

"Hey, Princess! You little hellspawn, where are you?"

"It's Uncle Ogre!" Evie smirked, then her smirk left and replaced by a worried expression, "...Do you think he knows?" she asked, referring to her prank.

The Raven shrugged its wings and prepared itself to leave before saying his last words to her, "Don't worry, Eves. I'll be here tonight."

Evie nodded and turned her attention to her door and Oghren came in. She looked at him with big innocent eyes. She honestly liked Oghren. She liked teasing him and playing tricks on him. Unfortunate for him, he was her favorite victim. Not because he was a dwarf, but he was funny to see how riled up he got.

Alistair appointed Oghren as his Lieutenant and most trusted one at that. This act made Oghren believe he could do better so he wasn't the same old drunkard who drank because he needed it to get by. The only times he drank now were when his buddies would convince him. Unfortunately, when he did drink, he drank a lot. Still, Oghren believes that he has come a long way from who he was before. He meant what he told Sisara before the Final Battle and he was grateful for it. Honestly, he believes that staying as a surface dwarf was the best decision he had ever made.

And besides. He just _had _to see how Alistair and Sisara's little hellspawn would grow up. Like Wynne, he couldn't help but like Evie. She was like a daughter or little sister to him. And like Alistair, he honestly feels like someone would have to take away his warhammer for he feels as if he will want to use it on anyone who dared to hit on Evie when she's older. Thank the Maker they still had some time before that.

"Maker, you get taller every day." Oghren muttered, a little envious.

"Or maybe you get smaller?" Evie suggested innocently.

"Oh, ha ha ha, very funny. I'll have you know you're still pretty small for a noble." Oghren smirked. Evie touched the top of her head as if to touch her height, "Am not! Mommy says I just have a rogue's fish sick!"

"I think you mean rogue's physique. And if that's what you mean, that means you're thin and as short as an elf." Oghren laughed.

"I am not! I'll grow, you'll see!" Evie promised him, "I bet that I'll be as tall as Daddy, too!"

"Ha! That giant? Please. Anyway, I was here for something. What was it again? Oh, yeah, your mom wants you downstairs for your fitting."

Evie groaned, "Oh, but I don't want to! Areida hurts my hair!"

"Yes, well, your mother hurt me this morning chasing me around the sodding garden!"

Evie giggled, "Yes, I know, I knew she'd do that so I watched the whole thing."

"Yeah, well-wait...how did you know she was going to do that?" Oghren asked.

_'...Oops.' _"Well, I'm late for my fitting, sorry, Uncle Ogre, but Areida'll be mean to me if I show up late, m'kay? Bye!" Evie said hastily as she quickly ran outside her room and Oghren's voice yelled behind her, _"You little hellspawn, you put those cookies on my beard, didn't you_?"

Evie laughed as she saw Barkspawn running alongside her, "Run, boy, and don't look back!"

* * *

Fergus Cousland arrived in Denerim earlier that day. As he arrived at the Royal Palce, he suddenly noticed how his visits always felt different. At first, he was nervous about going into the Palace. Not that he hasn't already been before, no, but he always felt a little out of place there. He had been taught to be polite in the face of royalty, but the fact that his little sister lived there along with her husband, the _King_, and that they were the aforementioned royalty, Fergus wondered how he should act. To be perfectly honest, he wanted to treat his little sister as he always did, but what if she had changed? What if this Alistair fellow was some overly-serious, cold, uncaring man who would forbid Fergus from seeing Sisara ever again?

...His fears quickly went away as soon as the first words he heard out of the King was a feigned cry of despair as his daughter beat him in Wicked Grace. Whether she did so by luck or by skill was debatable.

Now, it literally felt like Fergus could just take his boots off at the entrance and give the King, Queen and Princess a bear hug. He had come to know Alistair and although he was a very good ruler, he was surprised to see that Alistair's 'common touch' reputation proceeded him. Although he did not seem like it, he could be wise depending on time and circumstances, he was obviously strong, fair, loyal and Fergus figured that if he not only courted Sisara but married her, he must be brave. He genuinely liked Alistair. At times, he almost seemed to be too perfect of a King, given that Ferelden was in somewhat a state of peace like it never was before, but of course, Alistair did have some help. Sisara had not changed at all, she was as bold and fiery as she once was, but a sense of duty and seriousness that Fergus honestly thought could never be found in her was present when it needed to be. It was a Cousland trait. His father once told him that it didn't matter how anyone of Cousland blood may represent him or herself, they will always honor their duties with respect and dignity. No doubt that she had grown up during her journey, although quite frankly, Fergus just wished that he could have been there to see it.

And who could forget the young Princess of Ferelden? That adorable little oddball in braided pigtails that always seemed to be around her unofficial bodyguard, Barkspawn, and her tendency to drive the guards insane. She reminded him a lot of himself and Sisara when they were young. Oh, Maker help the guards who had to deal with any child with Cousland blood. They always were notorious for being little hellspawns and Evie was no exception. But there was a certain carefree, Archdemon-may-care, happy-go-lucky attitude that Evie had, no doubt from her father. Sisara once explained how surprised she was when Alistair was forced to sleep in the stables as a boy and still he thanked Eamon and Isolde. If it were Fergus and Sisara, they would have protested and yelled until their vocal chords were cut. Evie truly figured that she had nothing to be upset about. She was thankful for what she had and scarcely asked for more.

He smiled with these thoughts as he rode his horse to the gates and met the two guards before it. He nearly laughed remembering that there was a time when he was sweating as he walked in front of the tall gates. But now it felt like home.

"State your business." one of the guards demanded coldly and the other guard smacked him in the head.

"You idiot! That's the Queen's brother!" he said.

Fergus felt like laughing as the guard started apologizing. Frankly, he would have loved to torture the guy and give the stern 'I'll see to it that the Queen hears about this' act and laugh as he watched his face change color in fear, but there was a bear hug awaiting the Royal Family and he intended to give it to them.

The gates opened and Fergus frowned as he saw someone in the courtyard. Lady Corinne and Lord Mercer with their twin brats, Caimon and Caitlyn. Lady Corinne, the daughter of Bann Teoric, had been a pain in his arse ever since they were children. She was always chasing after to him for a kiss and Sisara was too amused by the whole thing to help Fergus. Yes, she has found herself a man (finally) but that didn't stop her flirting. Fergus was almost too sure that he would only need to ask her and Corinne would leave Mercer Walder with the children to be by his side. That was the kind of woman she was.

But it wasn't just Lady Corinne. The presence of any noble at the moment meant that Fergus had to act like he was here on official business as opposed to saying hi to his family. With a heavy sigh, he put on his 'almighty, all-serious Teyrn of Highever' voice and approached Lady Corinne as if he were approaching a wild animal that could pounce on him any second.

"Lady Corinne, Lord Mercer! It is a pleasure to see you once again." Fergus smiled.

"Teyrn Fergus! What an honor it is to see you once again!" Corinne smiled and Fergus could have sworn he saw a look of shock from her children and husband, as if they rarely saw her smile.

"Teyrn Fergus, I don't believe that we've had the pleasure." Lord Mercer greeted, "Allow me to begin by thanking the Maker for ensuring your safe journey to the Palace. I am Lord Mercer."

"Well met, Lord Mercer." Fergus greeted, "It's a pleasure to have both of you here. I assume that you are here for my niece's birthday?"

Corinne nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, yes, you see, for the past five years, every time that the Princess' birthday was approaching, we were often busy. Father always needed our help and Ceresfell, as you know, is rather far from here. We haven't actually had the pleasure of meeting any of the Royal Family, but we are honored to. Things have been simply going so well in Ceresfell since the King agreed to pay for more workers. And the pay is so generous that the workers have actually been working as hard as they can!"

Fergus smiled at that, "Yes, Alistair certainly is a fine King, isn't he?"

"He's more than just a fine King, he's one of the finest! And we can't forget the Queen, either, the Hero of Ferelden. Thank the Maker we have such fine rulers now!" Mercer gleamed.

It only took a second for Fergus to guess what kind of man Mercer was. The symbol of the Maker around his neck, the references to the Maker and his eyes that gleamed to His name. He wasn't just a religious man, but probably some kind of zealot. Oh, now don't get Fergus wrong. Just like his sister, he prayed, tried to keep to His word and he regularly visited the Chantry for a blessing. But, of course, something about people whose entire lives seemed to be dedicated to the Maker unnerved him. Some people have different interpretations of His word and as a result, seem to take it completely out of context. He always did avoid those people, for they seem to be giving believers like himself a bad name. Well, that, and they scared him.

"Yes, thank the...Maker." he said hesitantly, "And I'm sure that Princess Evi-Um, Princess Eveline will be a fine Queen someday. She seems to have inherited the best of Alistair and Sisara."

"I hear she's weird!" Caimon blurted, and Corinne quickly put a hand over her mouth, "Hush, now, Caimon! That is the Princess, you are talking about!"

"I hear she has an ogre for a uncle!" Caitlin mentioned and Corinne became red as she put her other hand on her mouth. She was so embarrassed and apologized for their behavior but it only made Fergus laugh.

"Not quite an ogre, but close." Fergus grinned, knowing that they were referring to Oghren. He had met the dwarf and was actually good friends with him. He admired him for he was the only one capable of drinking more than him, "Well, you'll never know anything about the Princess if we just stand here, now, won't we?"

Corinne nodded, still embarrassed as they all followed Fergus into the Palace.

The doors were opened and everyone marveled at the grandeur. Fergus couldn't help but feel amused at how the more he came there the more he felt at home, while most newcomers would stare in awe. Across the room, he saw his brother-in-law and Arl Eamon. Alistair and Eamon were speaking to each other and both smiled as they saw Lady Corinne and her family and Fergus arrive. But Alistair's smile was actually genuine for he was glad to see his brother-in-law once again.

Lady Corinne and Lord Mercer bowed and instructed their children to do so. Fergus did, too of course, but with less seriousness.

"Welcome, Lord Mercer, Lady Corinne." Alistair smiled at the children, "Lord Caimon, Lady Caitlin. Please, rise."

Both children blushed when they heard the King call them in such a respectful fashion, the reaction Alistair was waiting for. The family did as they were told before Alistair looked at Fergus.

"Teyrn Fergus, a pleasure seeing you again." Alistair grinned, although Fergus could already read behind his grin, he was saying, _'Great, now we have to pretend like we haven't once entered a drinking contest together with a dwarf and laughed our arses off because we actually lost?'_

Fergus nodded in comprehension with a look that said, _'I know, I know, but for the sake of the Walder family and Eamon, let's act all high and mighty as if we actually won, okay?'_

Alistair laughed and turned his attention back to Mercer, "Lord Mercer, I hardly recognize you! I haven't seen you since our coronation. I apologize for not attending the wedding of you and your lovely Corinne."

Corinne blushed, "Oh, please your Majesty, it is no harm done. It's such a shame I didn't get to see the Queen, though. It certainly has been a while."

"A while?" Alistair raised his eyebrow, "You know Sisara?"

"I haven't seen Lady Sisara since we were children. Oh, how close we once were!" Corinne mentioned and Fergus couldn't help but snicker. Close? Oh, yes, Corinne would follow Sisara even closer than Barkspawn did in an attempt to learn more about Fergus, but everytime, Sisara would whip out her daggers and threaten her if she came any closer. "Although I must admit, I wonder how she is now that she is Queen..."

"I can assure you that the Queen is a marvelous woman. She is elegant, poised and one of Ferelden's most honorable women." Eamon assured his guests.

Just seconds later, a loud voice could be heard, _"MAKER DAMN IT AREIDA I SWEAR IF YOU DO NOT GIVE ME A DRESS THAT DOES NOT HAVE A DIRECT WINDOW TO MY CLEAVAGE I WILL SHOVE THIS SATIN SHOE UP YOUR ARSE!"_

_"WELL, EXCUSE ME, YOUR MAJESTY, BUT IT IS A BALL, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SHOW OFF YOUR ASSETS."_

_"YES, IT IS A BALL BUT THE GOAL IS TO CELEBRATE THE PRINCESS' BIRTH, NOT THE QUEEN'S BOOTY!"_

_"WELL, IF THE QUEEN WOULD HAVE SHOWN HER BOOTY BEFORE SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN MARRIED YEARS AGO!"_

_"SAYS THE ONE WHO HASN'T HAD SEX SINCE THE REMIGOLD WAS INVENTED!"_

_"EXCUSE ME, MY LAST TIME WAS JUST A FORTNIGHT AGO."_

_"OH, MAKER, NO, I DO NOT NEED TO HEAR ABOUT THE SEXUAL EXPLOITS OF A WOMAN OLD ENOUGH TO BE MY GRANDMOTHER."_

_"AT LEAST I DON'T NEED TO RESULT TO SARCASTIC HUMOR TO PLEASE MEN."_

_"ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT MY WONDERFUL PERSONALITY ISN'T ENOUGH TO LAND A MAN?"_

_"WONDERFUL? I THINK YOU'RE MISTAKING WONDERFUL FOR TERRIFYING!"_

_"TERRIFYING? THAT IS IT, WYNNE, GIVE ME THE SHOE! I INTEND TO KEEP MY WORD!"_

_"Um, Sisara, I really don't think this is..._"

_"GIVE ME THE DAMN SHOE!"_

"Mommy, what's an arse?" Caimon asked and Lady Corinne merely covered his mouth in horror.

Eamon chuckled nervously at Lord Mercer and Lady Corinne. Fergus merely smirked, knowing that a screaming match like that could only mean one thing. After all, for as long as he has had a sister, he had become accustomed to it. Alistair hid his laughter but couldn't help but feel sorry for whoever his wife was screaming at. He smirked and excused himself, "Um, I apologize, but it seems like my wife needs a little, um...help. I'll leave you in the hands of Arl Eamon."

"Oh, no need, your Majesty. It has been a while since I've seen my sister, I think I'll go pay her a visit." Fergus insisted. Alistair shrugged and let him, and as Fergus passed by, Fergus whispered to him, "Well, I supposed that it's a good thing that she hasn't changed."

"Not one bit." Alistair confirmed. Both men smiled. Was Sisara Cousland-Theirin a handful? Yes, she was, but they honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

A woman stared back at her green eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was odd, seeing herself now. Except for a golden mirror she bought for a woman she once called a friend, she had not seen a mirror for a year. But she remembered the way she looked like during that time: her black hair was always tied up in some ponytail or the occasional braid, a few strands would always escape the tie and frame her face, which was practically caked with mud, her armors were covered in dried darkspawn blood and she always looked, well, tired. Now there she was: her hair was in some sort of uncomfortable hairstyle, her eyes seemed brighter and shinier thanks to something that her friend put on her, wearing a beautiful purple dress and her skin was so clean that it looked shiny to her eyes.

But Eamon insisted that Ferelden deserved to celebrate their Princess' birthday, so they begrudgingly agreed to have a celebration a few weeks before Evie's actual birthday. On her actual birthday, they spent the day doing things Evie loved.

Now, Sisara had nothing against celebrations. But it required dresses. And she had nothing against dresses...just the very, very uncomfortable ones, and according to Areida, their seamstress, the 'uncomfortable' ones were the only ones that were fit for a Queen. Areida had set out at least five dresses for Sisara. One of them she must wear for tonight. Each of them had a corset that must be laced so tight that Sisara could scarcely breathe. And after a year of wearing comfortable armor which allowed room for more of Sisara's preferred free movement, it was a tough adjustment.

See, Areida had been the Sisara's seamstress since she was very young. Her Mother would call Areida in all the way from Denerim when they needed a fitting for a certain event. And each time she came, the guards were ordered not to be alarmed in case of any screaming. It was a known fact that when Areida and Sisara were in the same room, a screaming match was bound to happen.

"I just wish that we didn't have to do this every year. It makes me feel like I'm only doing this for appearances." Sisara sighed.

"But you _are _doing this for appearances." Wynne reminded her, "But I understand. The noble children...they are not fond of Eveline."

"That's an understatement." Sisara snorted as she grabbed another dress and went in the room once again, "They hate her. She's a constant, walking reminder that if I hadn't been here, any one of them could be in her shoes. It's the same reason some of the noblewomen can't stand me, either."

Wynne nodded and smiled as Sisara came out of the room and twirled once in her red gown. Behind Sisara, the door opened to reveal Fergus, "You look amazing, your Majesty." he said in a teasing tone.

Sisara grinned and hugged her brother, recognizing him immediately. It warmed Wynne's heart to see the siblings reunite after so long.

"I didn't know you were coming!" Sisara exclaimed, "I thought you would be here for Evie's actual birthday!"

"Well, I will be." Fergus assured her, "But come on, Pup, I only get to see you like thrice a year! I miss you and if Evie's anything like you, you'll need help raising the little hellspawn from time to time."

Wynne nearly snorted, "Now that is the real understatement."

"Wynne! Always lovely to see you." Fergus greeted, "So, how's the tutoring with Evie going?"

"She's a very bright child...although unfortunately she has her father's attention span and her mother's arrogance." Wynne groaned and Sisara only clicked her tongue in approval, "That's my girl!"

Fergus was amused by this exchange and took a moment to stare at his little sister. He smiled. She had come a long way from that grimy-faced little spitfire who used to pick the locks of the Family Treasury to play with her daggers and ask Fergus if she could accompany him to his adventures in the forest.

"What are you staring at?" Sisara asked.

"It's just...I was remembering when you were a little girl. Do you remember how all the other children in Highever spoke to you? They taunted you mercilessly because you were always seen with me playing with wooden swords and scars on your knees. Then one day, you looked at them right in the eye and said that one day, you will become so great that years from now, the ones that once said your name in disgust will cheer it one day in triumph and admiration. I was always so amazed at how sure you were." Fergus said.

Sisara laughed as she recalled that memory, "Those were just the over-confident words of a little girl, Fergus."

"No, it was more than that. It was as if you knew that one day, you would be standing here. And ever since that day, with that gleam in your eyes, everytime I saw you fight or work or anything, it was as if you did it all to prove everyone that you would be somebody. And everyone at Highever, even the guards, always knew you'd be someone great. And now you're not just somebody, not that you were ever nobody. You're the Queen and Hero of Ferelden one of the Grey Wardens that stopped the Blight and the woman who killed the Archdemon. It's just...I'm so proud of you. We all are. Aldous, Nan, Oriana, Oren, Mother, Father..." Fergus smiled, his voice tracing off.

Sisara looked teary-eyed as Fergus took her hands and pulled her in for another hug. Words cannot possibly express how relieved she was that Fergus was found alive. Fergus was always the kind of brother most sisters wished they had, a best friend who would look out for you and protect you, and Sisara made sure that Fergus knew this when she found him again.

"Besides, I always said that one day, you would find a man who could handle you, and look! I was right! Again!" Fergus said, earning a punch from Sisara on his arm.

"Hey, watch your strength, your arms are the strongest part of your body, remember?" Fergus teased, earning a laugh from Sisara and Wynne, who was amused by the whole scene. "And anyway, I really mean it, you do look beautiful in that dress. If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were an actual lady!"

"Yes, and I don't feel like suffocating any time soon, so I guess we've got a winner." Sisara chirped positively, "Now, for the real challenge: getting Evie down here for her own fitting."

Wynne groaned, "Must I be the one to bring her?"

Sisara shook her head, "No, I got Oghren to do that. He still needs to pay for eating my cookies."

"He stole your cookies? Poor lad." Fergus said solemnly. It was a known fact in Highever to never get between Sisara and her cookies. The consequences would be very dire and unfortunate, indeed.

"Oh, that reminds me, Wynne, can you tell Evie when she's done to come see me?"

"May I ask why?" Wynne asked.

"No reason, I just...had a bad dream." she answered simply.

"What dream?" Fergus asked.

Sisara played with the hem of her sleeve nervously. It was better to keep some things to herself, "Nothing, it's just...I would feel better if I gave Evie her present tonight. And anyway, now, I have to go and hide."

"Hide? From who?" Wynne asked.

"Areida." Sisara answered, "She specifically said that red is too 'loud' of a color for a Queen and I have a feeling that she will rip this dress off my body when she sees me. Anyway, I'm going to find Alistair. I'll see you both tonight."

When she left, Fergus smirked and laughed suggestively and Wynne questioned him, "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I have a feeling that Areida's not the one who's going to be ripping that dress off her body."

Wynne retaliated by throwing one of the heavier dress at Fergus and leaving the room, leaving Fergus literally on the floor laughing his arse off. When Wynne first met Sisara's brother, she was appalled at his crude humor. But then again, she didn't know how on earth she could be surprised. The Cousland siblings did have a habit of acting like the opposite of most nobles. _'Well, whatever keeps the man laughing, I suppose.' _she thought.

* * *

Evie rubbed her back in pain. Whoever decided that dresses should be longer than her own feet was a cruel person, indeed. She was tripping every ten steps, it seemed, her tiny legs buried in the long blue skirt. The dress itself was pretty, a light blue dress with white vine-like decorating it and the sleeve hugged her arms tight until her elbow, at which point, it flowed gracefully away from her wrist, but Evie struggled to move every single time without falling flat on her face.

And Maker, that hair! Evie hated it when people 'did' her hair because they pulled and pulled and whined about how tangled it was. Areida was especially cruel with her hair today. She brushed it thoroughly and decided that she was some kind of warrior and Evie's hair was the evil enemy that had to be slaughtered. Evie tried to resist the urge to fling her hair back.

Barkspawn barked at her and wagged his tail. Evie glared at him, "Hey, don't make fun of me, this dress hurts!"

But Barkspawn only barked even more in amusement. Evie couldn't help but smile at the hound. She soon found herself in front of her mother's daughter and knocked three times, "Mommy?"

She opened the door and saw her mother in the dress she is meant to wear to for tonight. She gasped and stared at her mother in awe. To her, no other person could compare, her mother will always be the most beautiful one of them all. "You look beautiful, Mommy!" she squeaked.

Sisara turned and smiled at her daughter, "Not nearly as beautiful as you, Oddball."

Evie frowned with her dress, "I don't look beautiful, it hurts..."

Sisara laughed, thinking that the little frown and pout on Evie's face reminded her of Alistair when he was whining about the impractical gold plate armor. "That's what we get for being royal. We get to look good and feel terrible. That should really be our motto."

Evie smiled at the joke but Sisara could see that the smile was fake. Then the memory of the dream came back to her. Yes, it was just a dream, but it still felt very strong. And it would at least calm her nerves if Evie could defend herself if need be.

"Wait here, I have a surprise for you..." Sisara grinned as her eyes scurried towards her closet, and with a little smile, Sisara motioned Evie to come to her. Evie obeyed and sat on her mother's lap, just happy to be near her. Sisara hated to admit it, but with the whole Warden Commander slash Queen slash Hero of Ferelden thing, it was hard to find time to spend with her daughter. But when she did, she always made sure that Evie knew that she was loved.

"Hey...come on, now, you know I don't like seeing you sad." Sisara reminded Evie and flicked her little chin. Evie giggled and nodded, "Okay, Mommy, I'll try to smile. For you."

"That's my girl." Sisara encouraged, then went back to looking in the closet.

"Mommy, what're you looking for?" Evie asked her.

"Just a sec..." Sisara said as she rummaged through the clothes, the armor and, well, paperwork. She wasn't exactly the most organized person in Ferelden. In fact, she was pretty sure that Leliana would have a heart attack if she saw the inside of her closet.

Her heart sank as she thought of her favorite red-headed lay sister. She remembered their last conversation where Leliana mentioned she would travel to Orlais for a while then return. She never did. But Sisara visited Orlais from time to time and has heard tales of a red-headed bard and was at least relieved to know that Leliana was still alive. Why she never kept in touch, Sisara would never know.

She shook her head of these thoughts. How was she supposed to cheer her baby up if she was sad herself? Finally, Sisara felt what she was looking for in her hands. She smiled and hid it behind her. Evie immediately noticed that she was hiding something and smiled brightly, "What is it? What is it? What is it!"

Sisara grinned as she hid the weapon behind her, "I have something very important to give you Evie...do you know what Cousland women were famous for?"

Evie nodded eagerly, "Being beautiful and having big mouths!"

"I'm guessing your father told you that." she deadpanned, "And also for...?"

Evie put her finger on her chin and thought for a second before she got the answer, "They say that a Cousland woman could fire an arrow from an entire city away and still hit their target right in the eye!"

Sisara laughed, "Yes, and while that's not exactly true, what they're basically saying is that Cousland women are excellent archers. It's the one thing we seemed to have naturally since birth, well, that, and our big mouths. And although you are named Eveline Theirin by birth, you have Cousland blood in you. Meaning that this weapon will not feel like a weapon to you, but part of your arm."

Sisara then presented her with a Dragonbone bow. It was designed to look both deadly and elegant, with a detailed recurve style and the Cousland family's heraldry device, two laurel wreaths crossing each other, was painted on the bow's grip. Evie gasped as she touched the bow gently. Sisara placed it carefully in her hands and watched in amusement as Evie treated it as if it were some delicate flower.

"Don't be afraid to grip it tightly. It won't break." she said, swearing that she remembered saying the same words once. "Mother said that your great-great-great grandmother had it enchanted so that it would never break even if you tried to break it with a stone or a blade. She also said that every time you fire an arrow from this bow, you must guide the arrow with all of your mind, heart and soul, and you will never miss."

"But..what does that mean? How do I guide it with my mind, heart and soul?" Evie asked, obviously confused.

"I didn't understand it either." Sisara confessed and laughed when she saw the surprise in her daughter's eyes. She loved her daughter so much, but sometimes she feared that Evie truly believed that she and Alistair could do no wrong so the idea that she was once a little girl who was confused and just took everything she could was like telling Evie that there were little creatures in her ears that danced the Remigold. The idea seemed ridiculous. "For years and years, I trained with that bow. And was I good? Eventually, yes, with training, but I never felt as if it were 'part of my arm' or that I 'guided it with my mind, heart and soul' as my Mother once told me it made her feel."

"So, you were good but you didn't like it?" Evie made sure.

"Not as much as I should have, no." Sisara admitted, "But...then certain events happened. And it when it did, I could hardly believe that there was a time in my life when I didn't feel like the bow was so important to me."

"When will I feel it?" Evie asked.

A smile spread across Sisara's face as she noted that Evie didn't even ask whether or not she would feel it. She knew she would. Sisara merely stroke Evie's hair softly, "It's different for everyone...but if I know you, it will be soon." she promised as she handed the bow to Evie.

Evie's mood became better afterwards and Sisara was glad to see the same spark in Evie's eyes once again. Evie leaped into her mother's arms and Sisara hugged her tightly.

Sisara loved her a lot more than she thought was ever possible. At times, Evie was spirited, if not a bit eccentric for her different tastes (Sisara recalls that when Evie found a spider in her room, instead of yelling for help, Evie tried to get it to bite her with a belief that she would gain spider powers...and Sisara had a certain suspicion that her husband was the one who told her that tale), but unfortunately, she tended to feel very bad about herself.

And it was no wonder why. It was difficult enough being the Princess of Ferelden without half the children in Thedas making assumptions about you, but when Evie was not like other children, it simply guaranteed that she would be mocked for the rest of her life. Evie never understood why. Was it because she was fascinated by anything that was dark rather than scared of it?

Around this time of year, she always questioned and doubted herself. And both Sisara and Alistair did everything they could to make sure that she wouldn't be completely sad throughout the whole ordeal. Children are supposed to enjoy birthdays, not dread them.

"Evie...?" Sisara called to her. Evie faced her with a confused look in her eyes. "I just...I want you to know that I know it isn't easy being you. And you may not know this but most children in your place would be insufferable little brats but not you. You learn to appreciate everything you have and love everyone for the little things they do. And if sometimes you feel like you're slipping, like you're sad or upset, it's normal. Unfortunately, you...you seemed to have inherited your father's tendency of underestimating yourself and my habit of keeping my feelings bottled up. But it's not good, sweetie. One day, those feelings will erupt and you'll only be hurting yourself more. Please don't make that mistake. There's nothing wrong with you..."

Evie appreciated how everyone was trying to make her feel better, but she was beginning to feel bad that none of them have truly made her feel better yet.

"And...what if there really is something wrong with me? What if I am odd?" she whispered.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Evie. There's something wrong with the world. And if you are odd, then being odd is beautiful." Sisara assured her. That particular phrase seemed to skyrocket Evie's mood, who began to grin from ear to ear. Evie wrapped her arms around Sisara's waist tightly and buried her face in her mother's stomach.

"Mommy?...You won't let anything bad happen to me, will you?" she whispered.

"Of course not!" Sisara said, horrified, "I love you, Oddball. I promise, I won't let anything bad ever happen to you."

Evie gave a ghost of a smile, "I love you, too, Mommy..."

With the pep talks from her Mommy and Daddy and the Raven, she felt a little better. A little less scared. But the gnawing in her stomach was still there and Evie guessed she would just have to hold onto her mother's promise.

It is such a pity that she made a promise that she couldn't possibly keep.

* * *

**AN: You know, I wonder if anyone will notice that I used the verbs laugh, smile, joke, giggle and chuckle a lot in this chapter. Believe me, I did so intentionally because in a few chapters, all the fun and games are over and the real adventure starts. The next chapter might be shorter because it will only be the party and that 'something big' will be the catalyst of the chain of events that will put Evie through her own adventure.**

**Two references here. One of them is a line from a well-known game and the other is a reference and parody of a famous book that has a movie coming out in November. Any guesses?**


End file.
